Claws's Wrath
by Gree
Summary: When the Eagle Claws begin a mission to rescue an Inquisitor from Tau-controled territory it clear that there is more than meets the eye. Edited by the Lone Hunter
1. The Mission

Author's Notes: After some time thinking I have decided to not care about reviews. Just read the story and be entertained. If you have any criticisms of the story or any tips then feel free to review.

**Claws's Wrath**

**(Mission Start)**

**Edited by TheLoneHunter**

The conference room doors slid open and Captain Julian Basiclus, Captain of the Eagle Claws Second Company, Knight-Champion of Epidarus and Commander of the Watch, stepped into the briefing room. The Space Marine carried his helmet in a gauntleted hand and wore an ornate set of gold and violet power armor, while a deep amethyst cloak hung from his shoulders. Sheathed at his side was the ancestral power sword of Solomon Herito, a potent relic of the Eagle Claws chapter. His features were regal and hawk-like, with dark brown eyes and a twin-headed eagle tattooed over his right eye, alongside three black service studs.

Basiclus was greeted by the sight of a tall man seated on the command throne across from the central hololith, a bionic monocle set into his eye. Imposing and authoritative, General-Militant Healy sat surrounded by a gaggle of servitors, bodyguards and staff officers, comprising his retinue.

"My lord Astartes, we are honored that you have come," he addressed the Captain, his voice high and refined with the accent of the privileged upper classes of Sarvonis IV.

"The Eagle Claws are always ready to make war upon the alien and the heretic, General. Save your praises and concentrate your efforts on this battle," Basiclus replied smoothly. He did not conceal his words; the Eagle Claws had a reputation as one of the more egotistical chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. If he were a Guardsman, then he could have been flogged for speaking in such a manner to a high-ranking Imperial officer. But the General Militant merely nodded thoroughly at the Captain's words.

"Very well, here is the situation." He gestured around him. The room was large and well crafted, designed with a brisk military look to it. Projected into the middle of the large hololith were images of the Guard senior staff and officers from various regiments participating in the campaign, members of the Machine Cult, and astropaths.

But Basiclus's eye was not drawn to them, instead falling on a group of figures standing at the other end of the room. They looked more like space pirates and hive gangers than any kind of imperial officer. They wore a motley collection of rags and leathers, some with implanted bionics and other collections of gewgaws and weapons. At their head was a serious-looking man in a black trench coat. He seemed to be the leader. Taking in all of these facts, Basiclus quickly drew a conclusion. The man had to be an Inquisitor. It was only logical.

"I presume that you are of the Inquisition?" he asked.

"You are right, but not in the way you think," the addressed man answered softly.

"What do you mean?"

"That is precisely why we have called upon your Marines, Captain," Healy said as he leaned forward in his chair, his bionic eye shining with red light. "Now, the problem is that this man is just an apprentice. The Inquisitor Lord Falvius Neer has been lost, and his aquila shuttle was shot down just two days ago, in hostile territory over here." He gestured to a green section of the hololith, at the Tau-controlled portion of Karovioa. "After our push into Karovioa Secundus and Weqil City, the Tau have lost a vast area of ground. From what we currently know, they are attempting to regroup and launch a counter-offensive. What I petition you and your Eagle Claws, Captain, is to crush the Tau counterattack before it can gain real momentum. The Inquisitor has disappeared into the area where we have located the highest concentration of Tau deployment." He pointed to a set of glowing red icons.

"Lord-Militant, you do not need to ask. It is our sworn duty to protect the Inquisition's secrets from reaching the hands of the unworthy. I give you my word that we shall return with him," Basiclus swore solemnly.

"Excellent." As Healy leaned back in his throne, the room exploded into chatter as the officers peered over the hololith and began to clamor for orders from the Lord-Militant. The man in the black trench coat stepped over to Basiclus.

"My lord Astartes," he began. ''Why don't we take this somewhere quieter?''

Outside, in the spacious halls of the Imperial Battleship _Avenger_, Basiclus and the interrogator strode side by side, talking of the mission set before them. Basiclus had learned that the man's name was Xeamus, the apprentice of Lord Neer.

"What my master had obtained was very special," the young Inquisitor explained. "During the invasion, he had identified an old burial ground in one of the liberated cities, and discovered something there he deemed extremely important, too important for any wandering Guardsmen to find."

"I am to presume that said artifacts had something to do with Chaos?" Basiclus asked, almost suspiciously. It seemed to be almost cliché to have an Inquisitor conspiring with Chaos, from what the Captain knew of the radical faction.

"Shh! My lord Astartes! The walls have ears." Xeamus fished in his trench coat and pulled out a silver circle icon, pressing a button on its surface. A silvery blue energy field blossomed from the device, enveloping them both. Immediately, Basiclus's hand shot out and plucked the apprentice Interrogator off the ground by his throat.

"What trickery is this?" growled the captain as he looked around for signs of an ambush. Was it some sort of trap?

"No…no trickery! J-Just a silence field so we can speak in peace!" choked Xeamus through his swiftly collapsing windpipe. The Marine's fingers released their grip, sending him tumbling to the floor, wheezing for breath.

"I'm…I'm sorry about that," he apologized, although Basiclus could detect an undercurrent of resentment in his voice.

"Do not bother. It is I who made the error, and I apologize," the Astartes replied, offering a hand to his companion.

"Thank you," Xeamus muttered, accepting Basiclus's help. "Now let us get back to business. Those artifacts were of a warp-based nature, unfortunately. I know what you must think, but I can assure you that my master intended to destroy them at once, and keep them out of the hands of any agents that his rivals in the Inquisition might have sent."

"If that is true," Basiclus asked suspiciously, "then why did he not destroy the artifacts then and there? I am certain that Inquisitor Neer had melta bombs and psykers available to him."

"And he might risk having daemons appear from the destruction of the artifact, he had to destroy it in a controlled environment. The exact mechanics are hard to understand but trust me, that is how it works," the apprentice explained. Noting the Astartes's doubtful expression, he quickly continued, "My lord is not a daemon-worshipper, he is a straightforward puritan. We are not trying to trick you, Brother-Captain."

Basiclus erased all signs of distrust from his face, but kept his true thoughts to himself. "Very well, Interrogator, will we do so."

"Also, if my lord has been compromised, or you cannot extract him in time, then I am afraid he must be granted the Emperor's Peace," the apprentice added as an afterthought.

The Astartes nodded in understanding. "I see." Turning around without so much as a farewell, he strode away back down the corridor, lost in his own thoughts.

Xeamus waited until the Marine had disappeared from sight to deactivate the silencer device. A slight smile spread across his face as he placed the disk back inside his trench coat.

Everything was going as planned.

Captain Basiclus stood in the _Sword of the Emperor_'s briefing room, surrounded by Captain Kommneus, Captain Lakaris, and the collected senior sergeants and officers of the Chapter, who were also clad in full combat power armor. The command room was ornate and bore four large marble pillars at each corner. The table in the center was plated with priceless gold leaf, a mark of the Claws' prestige, and the tapestries on the walls depicted legions of Marines crushing the life out of countless daemons.

"My brothers, do you heed the call of battle?" Basiclus began, the standard opening ritual of the planning session.

"WE DO!" came the rumbling reply of over two dozen voices, speaking as one.

"Then by the will of the Emperor, we shall crush our enemies," Basiclus said solemnly. "The time has come once again, brothers, when we shall make the alien filth tremble before our might. Our blades and skills shall both be honed, our glory increased! And yes, Brother-Sergeant, you may indeed have an opportunity to claim the life of a second xenos commander."

Across the room, Sergeant Darius smiled. He had been awarded the marksman's honors three times in a row, a legendary feat.

"Well, watch your head, lad. If it gets too big, we will have to put you in a Dreadnought to handle the weight," the captain remarked jokingly.

There was a chorus of laughter from the Marines. Darius's was notably the loudest of them all.

"Quiet!" Sergeant Sulla, a tall-scarred veteran of the Vanguard squads, pounded his fist. "None of us will claim any kills unless we know our objectives!"

"Brothers, we have two of them," explained the Captain. "The first is to crush any xenos we can find…as usual. I doubt many of you will find that difficult." There was some chuckling around the large holo-table.

"Of course," Basiclus continued, "We also must rescue an Inquisitor."

"An Inquisitor?" Sergeant Laetres asked in bewilderment. "Must we interfere with their little power struggles?"

"It is no political game they are playing, there are tainted artifacts involved. Now think of this long and hard, we will succeed where the Inquisition failed, and destroy the artifacts. If the Inquisition has proved to have a tainted member, or Lord Neer has been secretly trafficking with daemons, then we will execute him and destroy the artifact. Either way, victory shall be ours. We are the Space Marines; the mailed fist of the Emperor. We cannot fail."

Basiclus pressed a button on the console, bringing up a projected topographical map.

"Here is the terrain data, brothers. Analyze it well, along with what combat records we have recorded concerning the Tau scum. I shall join you for the final prayer session before the planetside drop."

The Eagle Claws left nothing to chance, every aspect of the battle they were about to fight was analyzed to near-perfection. The terrain was studied well, and appropriate vehicles were sent down to the surface by means of Thunderhawk transport. Combat stratagems depending on probable weather and enemy force composition were selected and diagnostics were run. While the Eagle Claws could not claim to be the toughest or fastest of the Astartes Chapters, they could easily claim to be one of the best prepared.

The Tau cadres had established a field camp in the Weqil foothills, gathering their forces for an unknown purpose. They had come with strange and terrible techno-sorcery, and had thus proved to be worthy opponents for the Astartes. So far, the Eagle Claws relished the thought of facing such a radically different opponent than the hordes of Chaos that they had fought before.

Basiclus was one of the inner circle of the chapter, being one of the most skilled commanders and champion of the Eagle Claws, and also the heir-apparent to the Chapter-Master, should the venerable warrior fall in the name of the Emperor. Fresh from fighting Orks, Basiclus had arrived in the Karovioa system to bolster his brethren against the forces of the Tau Empire. One xenos was no different than the other, he had thought. There was some truth to this; though the Tau were certainly putting up a greater fight than the greenskins had.

Over three dozen drop pods containing Space Marines from the Second, Fifth, Seventh, First and Tenth Companies had launched from the _Sword of the Emperor_ and the _Perfection's Light_ to the coordinates that were provided by the Imperial Command. As they shot through the skies in a wave of burning red light, their internal guidance systems centered on the patch of land near the Tau position. The xenos had set up camp close to a group of rocky foothills and forests, grouping for a fresh offensive.

The Eagle Claws had chosen one of the largest Tau concentrations and began their attack at once. The Tau way of war revolved around distant combat and redeploying to best match their firepower. The Marines had specifically chosen a strategy that would leave the Tau little room to maneuver and only short range to fight the Astartes, whereas the Eagle Claws could exploit their short-range shock abilities to their full potential. By coming in hard and fast and landing close to the enemy, the Tau had barely enough time to react to the hammer blow that Basiclus had just dropped on them.

However, that certainly did not mean that they would go down without a fight.

As soon as the first drop pods touched the ground, their occupants were immediately greeted by a heavy wave of pulse fire from the Tau troops who had managed to anticipate the paths of the falling craft. Several Marines were slain by the alien shots before the pod doors had opened, as the concentration of powerful energy rounds was too great for the outer hull to prevent all of the enemy fire from coming in.

Wrenching himself free of his own restraints, Basiclus pulled out his bolt pistol and fired on a group of Kroot that had appeared from inside one of the strange-looking tents, all armed with knives and primitive rifles. His command squad opened fire with their storm bolters and flamers, felling over two-dozen of the lightly armored aliens just before they reached the first line of Astartes.

With a mighty heave, Basiclus's ornate power sword cleared its sheath and decapitated the first beaked alien with a single strike. Ducking under an overhead swing of a rifle's stock, he drew the tip of his across the stomach of another warrior, eviscerating it instantly. His blade flew through the air in a flashing display of swordsmanship, cutting down three more Kroot as they leapt at him.

Apothecary Claudius was already at work, tending to the wounds that the Marines had suffered and claiming a small rocky hillock as his command post. Basiclus swiftly began issuing orders to his squad.

"Squads! Shoot off your volleys and close with the xenos!" he commanded, firing off another clip at some of the Tau infantry. All across the battlefield, the areas containing the most tactically advantageous terrain were identified as primary objectives, appearing on the tactical view screens on each Astartes' helmet.

Sergeant Laetres's tactical squad was the first to reach higher ground, laying down a wave of bolter fire on the aliens below. The sergeant himself had gunned down two Fire Warriors, when the screaming jets of Tau battlesuits sounded nearby. Before Laetres could react, the mobile walkers were upon him and his men, opening fire with missile systems and plasma weaponry.

The first few blasts killed three Marines and wounded two others from a set of tactical squads near Laetres's group. The Eagle Claws sergeant ducked to the side as a plasma burst exploded near him, scorching his shoulder plate and nearly melting through the ceramite.

"Take them down!" the voice of an Astartes screamed in the comlink. It sounded like Captain Kommneus, but Laetres couldn't tell. Between curses, he snapped orders to his squad in haste.

"Shoot them down now!" he yelled to the Marines, who immediately focused their fire on the battlesuits slaughtering them from above. One was killed instantly as a krak missile struck its chest, and a second lost its flight control unit and left leg to a hail of bolter fire. While they might have been more than a match for a few tactical squads, the concentrated fire proved too much for the armored Tau units.

"Form into overlapping fire points, squads one through four!" roared Basiclus as he watched the alien infantry reforming for a second assault. "Five and six secure our flanks! Devastators, mark your targets! Fire! Fire at will!"

The Eagle Claws met the Tau advance head on with a formation of their own. The Space Marines moved in tightly disciplined squads, advancing near each other so that they would achieve a maximum amount of crossfire with their bolters when they opened fire.

''Tactical squads, shoot the infantry! Devastators, kill the battlesuits!'' the captain of the Second Company shouted as he leveled his bolt pistol and sent a hail of shells into the Tau, striking a trio of Fire Warriors. Bolter fire and blasts of plasma tore into the alien troops, punctuated by heavy bolter rounds and the occasional frag missile. Jets of flame issued from Basiclus's command squad's flamers as they advanced to outflank a squad of Kroot warriors. Two more Astartes fell to the ground, killed by retaliatory fire from the Tau infantry. The Captain barked orders to his squad as they advanced, firing from the hip into the midst of the xenos warriors and their allies.

Meanwhile, an Eagle Claws Dreadnought marched forward through the ranks of the Astartes, its assault cannon spinning around and around as it sowed death among the aliens. Pulse rifle fire impacted against its hull uselessly, while two plasma blasts each tore away a chunk of the ceramite plating, exposing some of the machine's inner workings.

"DEATH!" the Dreadnought rumbled and charged forward into the Tau mass, it's heavy flamer sending a river of promethium into their ranks Surrounded by dead and burning aliens and consumed by battle rage, the pilot had unknowingly drawn the attention of a Crisis squadron. Only when five blue beams of plasma fire had ripped into the mighty walker did the ancient Marine realize his mistake. The entire Dreadnought was torn apart by the blast, the flames of which engulfed several of the Tau and Astartes warriors that surrounded it.

On the forward lines, bands of Kroot charged forward, trying to get within close range of the Marines. However, Basiclus would not allow that to happen, ordering his Astartes squads to fall back and fire their bolters as assault squads of the Second Company closed in, trapping the Carnivores in a pincer tactic. In doing so, however, they had exposed their flanks to several squads of Fire Warriors making their way up to the top of a nearby hill.

The hail of pulse fire caught the Marines off guard, nearly annihilating both Marius and Perseus squads. Of the men in Laetres's squad, only the sergeant and four others were left alive when the barrage finally stopped.

''Pure Hearts! Pure Souls! Pure Blades!'' he shouted as he and the rising warriors charged into the aliens while they reloaded. Activating his power fist, he charged headlong into the largest mass of Fire Warriors.

The left flank of the battlefield was a large forested hill, on it was a collection of Tau tanks and battle suits, from the start of the battle they had poured fire into the Astartes potions. Captain Kommneus had been chosen to lead the attack prior to the drop. He advanced at the front of his command squad. Bolter firing as the rest of his tactical and assault marines of the Fifth company advanced through the undergrowth.

Disciplined overlapping fields of fire punched through the alien lines and assault squads launched into the fray armed with melta bombs to destroy the armor positions. In the close combat the space marines easily slew the comparatively weaker xenos. At the head of the assault were Vanguard veterans of the chapter, armed with power swords and thunder hammers, behind them thirty assault marines, eight marines from the combined force were slain by fire, the Tau having to split their fire between two targets, the tactical and the assault marines.

Sergeant Sulla of the vanguard marines, a decorated veteran with two bionic limbs, smashed the blade of his relic sword into a trio of fire warriors as his marines dropped into the midst of the Tau, flames trailing from their jump packs.

To his left a squad of stealth suits unveiled itself. Opened fire they slew three Vanguard veterans, roaring with the loss of his brothers Sulla spun around despite a pair of burst cannon rounds blowing holes into his side. The relic blade slicing two into bloody chunks, he lashed out with his gene-enhanced leg and broke the gun arm of the suit before cleaving that one in two. Behind him his warriors hacked down a battlesuit squad.

A shield drone buzzed nearby him and he smashed it to the ground after his initial attempt to cut it was deflected by its energy field. Stepping on the drone its field gave out and he crushed it beneath his boot. Nearby a row of hammerheads were smashed by space marine sergeants with power fists. Sulla then voxed Kommneus.

''Hill secured, sir, time to rain the sky on them, milord!'' he shouted, as behind him emerged the shapes of Dreadnoughts and Devastators.

Squad Darius charged into the gap, followed by Squad Fulgerion. Both were of the First Company, Sternguard veterans. As four squads of fire warriors formed up firing from the hip they began to shoot back. Their kraken rounds punched through the armor of the fire warriors easily, whereas the normal combat ratio for the space marines was three or four Tau dead for every Astartes slain or wounded, the Sternguard effectively doubled it.

The Tau desperate to push back the Astartes fought back to try and punch a hole through the enemies' lines. The Sternguard along with four tactical squads from the Second and the Seventh effectively cut out the heart of the attack. The sixty Space Marines then ran across the field, into the hole that the Tau lines were desperately trying to plug and dropped into some nearby heavy cover to rain a hail storm of firepower in a carefully executed and perfectly disciplined assault.

A dozen Terminators flashed into existence, having teleported into battle from the Astartes fleet. Having locked on to the teleport homers that the tactical squad possessed, they smashed into the enemy Crisis suits and Pathfinders with power fists. The Tau were now losing cohesion, the sudden shock of the defeat was causing their squads and cadres to splinter in the face of the Space Marines, Basiclus had made the battlefield into a canvas and as the painter he began to apply his talents.

Only Thunderfire cannons, Dreadnoughts, and man-portable heavy weapons could be carried in the drop pods. As the Fifth Company secured the hill, these heavy weapons were brought down to rain death upon the Tau.

One by one, the Crisis suits were destroyed. The Tau infantry were outmaneuvered and outflanked by the running Space Marine squads, the Astartes were eager to avenge the loss of their brethren but their strict training and perfection of combat doctrine allowed them to systematically destroy the xenos forces. Others died standing, which earned them some grudging respect. A majority of the Kroot died, regardless of numbers. Some of the Tau did escape the slaughter, mostly those on Devilfish transports, bands of Fire Warriors and Pathfinders.

Of the three-hundred and forty three Astartes that had dropped into battle, twenty-two were dead, and thirty-seven more were badly injured. If not for the excellence of the Eagle Claws' Apothecaries, half of them would have died, too. Any other injuries suffered by the Marines were deemed minor enough that their own gene-enhanced systems could deal with them. Tau casualties were unknown, but were estimated to be many times that of the Astartes, a possible three quarters of their force. Given that the Marines had had the upper hand from the beginning, it was to be expected, though none had estimated that the aliens would have been able to cause as much retaliation damage as they had done.

All in all, the whole ordeal had lasted less than forty minutes.

After the battle had come to a close, the Eagle Claws set about burning the slain Tau and Kroot warriors, heaping them in huge piles and setting their flamers upon the xenos. Their own dead were taken aboard thunderhawks and sent back for geneseed removal.

The stink was overpowering, Basiclus thought. Even so, it was standard doctrine that all xenos weapons and technology be destroyed, along with the carriers themselves.

He stood surrounded by his command squad, two of his bodyguards having fallen during the battle. Patricus had survived because of the attention of Claudius but the other, Demetian, had taken a plasma round to the head and was killed instantly. A replacement was in order.

A flight of Thunderhawks soared overhead, banking around to land the troops and tanks of the Eagle Claws, now that the soldiers could be properly supplied with tanks and ammunition.

As the Marines went about their business, a squad of scouts approached, headed by Sergeant Belsarius. The scout commander saluted as Basiclus turned to face him.

"What have you found, Brother-Sergeant?" he questioned the scout.

"Unfortunately, nothing sir. I do not believe that the Inquisitor was ever held here, though it is possible that the Tau are holding him with a larger concentration of troops or an area with interrogation facilities," Belsarius replied sharply.

"Then we shall have to root out the xenos," the Captain said with a note of finality. "Sergeant, take all the scouts and try to find out what the Tau will do now. We have made the first move. Now, they have to make theirs."

Belsarius nodded and strode off as another wing of transports roared past.

**A note from TheLoneHunter:** Yes, this is loosely tied to the _Battlegrounds_ Saga as well (do you notice a little similarity with every story I edit?). Just a warning, some future references may not make sense to those who haven't read the series. I might return to write some of the Tau parts of the story, if I feel like it.

-TLH

Author's Notes from Gree: This is the first of my stories which the Lone Hunter has edited, I of course thank him for his excellent contribuations. Not there is nothing aluding to Lone Hunter's works yet because this chapter is from the Eagle Claws point of view who have not participated in Battlegrounds. expect just some refrences though.

This is a sequal to Claws over Karovioa and Claws of the Emperor


	2. The Hunters

**(The Hunt)**

**Guest Editor/Writer: TheLoneHunter**

The three Land Speeder squadrons moved through the thick jungle undergrowth with little difficulty, on each of the transports was mounted a five-man squad of Eagle Claws Space Marines. Sergeant Belisarius stared through the thermo-goggles he wore over his eyes. Flipping them up, he checked his bolter for what seemed the hundredth time before muttering an order into the vox-link.

The Imperial skimmers moved swiftly towards the Tau outpost, unnoticed by the aliens due to the sophisticated jamming units that each of the skimmers had mounted in their hulls. With a soft rush of engines, one of the speeders moved towards a rocky outcrop and rapidly disembarked its passengers. The group of scouts, who were armed with a single heavy bolter and several sniper rifles, took up positions in a rocky outcrop overlooking the target. Belsarius spread out his fingers and began counting down from five. When the last finger went down, he gave the command.

"Execute."

The alien outpost was situated on the side of a hill; a tall, gracefully shaped set of buildings defended by a single missile turret and two pulse gun turrets. A single squad of drones floated around, keeping watch like a swarm of disc-shaped hornets. The whole building held, at most, a dozen Fire the efforts of Belsarius and the Eagle Claws scouts, the Astartes had discovered that the Inquisitor was located somewhere in the city of Dalu, the principal forward Tau base in the south.

When Captain Basiclus learned of this, he had sent Belsarius and his scouts to eliminate the outer Tau outposts one by one. This would have the double effect of destroying the enemy sensor network and provoking them to pursue the Eagle Claws out of their fortifications, where the Astartes could easily strike. The assault cannon on Belisarius's command speeder opened up, along with the heavy bolters of the other speeders, into the turrets and drones. The hail of heavy bolter shells dismantled the turrets and blew two of the drones into scrap.

Then the speeders gunned forward into the outpost. The Tau Fire Warriors were rousing themselves quickly to meet the Astartes raiders, but bolter fire from the disembarking scouts of Belisarius's squad cut four down in a hailstorm of rounds as the rest of the xenos took cover when the Cerberus grenade launchers began to fire.

From within the firing slits of a nearby building, the barrels of pulse rifles were thrust outward. The resulting hail of pulse rounds blew the head off of a scout, while another volley of fire took the arm off a scout to Belsarius's right. Fire from the drones destroyed a speeder's heavy bolter.

"Brothers! Take them down!" the scout sergeant barked into his vox-link as the rear-deployed squad began opening fire on the entrenched Fire Warriors, their powerful scopes zooming in to target on exposed joints in armor and helmeted heads.A withering combination of sniper rounds and heavy weapons fire soon silenced most of the Tau fire. Belisarius pointed his fingers together and thrust forward, and his squad dashed forward to the access gate near the fire slits.

Pulse fire whipped out at the Astartes, but the Tau defenders were obviously shaken by the sudden casualties and the Eagle Claws's covering fire, so not a single scout fell in the attack. As soon as he reached the gate, Belisarius mentioned for a scout to place the melta charge. As the walls of the outpost blew inward, Belsarius tossed in a frag grenade, which rang out in another explosion. Barking another command, Belsarius's lead squad closed in, combat knives at the ready.

But there were none of the xenos left alive. All of them had been either slain by the blasts or the scouts' sniper fire. A chatter of bolter rounds from behind told the scout sergeant that the Tau drones had been finished off.

"Beta Team, Kappa Team! Take up firing positions and retrieve the honored dead. Alpha squad, ready the detonators!" Belsarius commanded as his Marines gave a quick affirmative and prepared melta charges.

**Dalu City, (Tau controlled)**

"_Information stated,"_ the medical drone clicked. _"Subject stabilized. No severe injuries have been detected, but abnormalities remain below epidermal layer."_

"Abnormalities?" questioned Shas'o Kir'cea as she gazed down at the unconscious figure of a human male lying on the medical table, stripped to the waist and bearing a series of translucent tubes across his chest. "Has this anything to do with the energy readings picked up during the scans?" She placed two fingers on the prisoner's neck, feeling a hint of a pulse beneath his skin.

"_Information stated. Analysis shows multiple deposits of artificial matter, of an unknown chemical makeup. The patterns closely resemble those found on…"_

"Chaos," muttered Kir'cea, shaking her head. "I was correct. Aun'el Sho'ka, what do you make of this?"

"The Imperials seem to have been misinformed regarding their Inquisitor's allegiance," the Ethereal stated grimly, striding forward to join the Shas'o at the table. "We may have use of this knowledge in the future."

"For what?" countered the commander. "Aun'el, I have faced the servants of Chaos in battle time and time again. They are a worthy foe, indeed. It is not safe to hold one of their number here. Allow me to kill this one, and he will trouble us no longer."

"Stay your hatred, Shas'o," cautioned Sho'ka. "You may possess experience in these matters, but it is I who must insist that the prisoner be kept alive and unharmed. The consequences of his death will be great, with retribution from both his false allies in the Imperium, and his true allies of Chaos."

Kir'cea thought to contradict her superior once again, but thought better of it, choosing silence instead. Finally, she spoke.

"Know this, Aun'el. If this Imperial is left alive, then the consequences will be greater than you assume. I have seen the battlefields of the West Empire. I was one of the first to hear of the failed crusade in the Merynis system; the annihilation of C…"

"_Shas'o,"_ a voice issued through Kir'cea's comlink._ "The Fire Warrior guards stationed in outpost thirteen have reported an attack by gue'la'vre Astartes squads. We lost all contact with the post commander nearly two minutes ago. Stealth team Wind's Blade, a unit of gue'vesa'la and several packs of Kroot have located the Marines in the woodlands south of the post and are closing to engage. There appear to be no more than thirty."_

"Understood," growled the commander. "We shall resume discussion of this matter in due time, Aun'el. For now, farewell."

Kir'cea turned and left the medical chamber quickly, slightly adjusting the comm unit attached to her ear and throat.

"O'Kir'cea to mobile Pathfinder team Dark Arrow," she ordered. "I have new orders for you."

**South of the destroyed Tau outpost**

Belsarius sat in the undergrowth, his form smeared head from toe with mud and his breathing slowed down to the bare minimum. Nearby, he could hear the shifting of moving feet.

The Tau were pursuing him, a squad of stealth suits and a pack of Kroot tracking him and his Astartes through the jungle. He had already given orders for the Land Speeders to take the dead scouts back to Captain Basiclus, along with the reconnaissance information. He had calmed the beating of his twin hearts with an old chapter technique he had learned while training on Caesarea's training moon of Pella. This, coupled with his camo-cloak and the layer of mud he had used to cover up body, made him practically invisible to the aliens.

He and nine other Eagle Claws scouts lay in the undergrowth. He had under his total command thirty scouts; fifteen had made the raid with two killed and one wounded. Three others had taken them and their bodies with the speeders.

His eyes took in the form of a Tau stealth suit as it passed by two feet from his hiding space, the faint heat-haze of the suit's system barely visible to even the Astartes's enhanced vision as it moved through the undergrowth. The blurry outline brushed a couple of overhanging braches and continued its way, followed closely by its comrades, four other suits with their own shimmering heat hazes, their guns scanning and ready.

Nearby he could hear the odd screeches of the bestial Kroot. The Tau had tracked them down to a patch of jungle near a set of mountains and came in looking for a vengeance with the savage Carnivore trackers. Of all the xenos, Belsarius hated the Kroot most. They exceeded the perfidy of the Orks with their insane cannibalism and barbarity, while the Tau were at least civilized to a point. The Kroot had none of that. It would be a pleasure to exterminate them.

With blinding speed, he raised his bolt pistol and opened fire just as the last alien stealth suit passed his way. The mass-reactive bolts ripped through the weaker rear armor in the back joints of the alien's suit. The xenos was ripped apart by the explosive bolts, and its destroyed form tumbled to the ground as the whole jungle glade came alive in a flurry of pulse rounds and bolt shells as the firefight began.

The burstcannons wielded by the stealth suits punched through two of the scouts, sending them flying backwards through the undergrowth. Another one of the scouts tossed a krak grenade at the nearest Tau pilot, the anti-tank grenade ripping apart the armored battlesuit in seconds.

Belsarius followed his example and tossed a pair of his own grenades, killing another alien and blowing the leg off another Tau suit who fell back with a mechanized scream, blue blood gouting from its destroyed limb. A volley of bolt shells ripped apart the last stealth suit; its armor unable to take the impact of multiple bolter rounds at close range. As the last bloody scraps of the Tau pilot blew away, Belsarius crossed over and plunged his combat knife into the rear joints of the fallen suit.

The screams and hoots of the Kroot sounded from behind; they were getting closer. "Defensive positions!" Belsarius shouted, and the scouts scrambled, loading new bolter clips and readying their combat knives. There was at least one large-sized pack of Carnivores charging through the jungle glades towards the scouts. The secondary squad that was stationed to the rear opened fire with its heavy bolter.

The heavy shells cut down several Kroot as they charged and leaped through the thick undergrowth as if it were nothing. A volley of rifle rounds sounded and the scouts' carapace armor took most of the rounds. However, a single scout fell as a heavy slug found its way into a weak spot in his armor.

Belsarius opened fire with his bolt pistol, and his squad quickly cut down over a dozen of the charging xenos, however not all of their shells found their mark because of the thick jungle.

The scout sergeant barked an order to his Marines. The scout hurled the last of their frag grenades, exploding and taking out even more Kroot as the xenos rushed the scouts. Only seven of the aliens survived the Astartes fire that the scouts had unleashed. As they came in, a heavy knife blade decapitated a scout, and a scout's combat knife opened a Kroot from sternum to groin.

A trio of aliens cornered two scouts. After a flurry of knife blades between the two sides one of the Kroot smashed a scout with it's rifle butt and shot the other in the face. Belsarius kicked away his own opponent and emptied the rest of his bolt pistol into two of the xenos. The Kroot from behind jumped up and stabbed his through the primary heart, he fell back gasping and slammed his elbow into the face of that Carnivore before burying his combat knife through the alien's brain.

The last remaining Kroot jumped at him and tackled him to the ground, talons seeking his throat. He grunted and tensed the specialized gland inside his mouth, spitting a stream of acid into the eyes of the xenos, who fell back screaming as the liquid ate away at its face. Belsarius grabbed the fallen bolt pistol and slammed the stock into the skull of the Kroot, the enhanced strength of the astartes enabling him to crush the alien skull easily.

With a grunt he yanked out the knife, the wound clotting instantly as his body's cells rushed to repair the damage. Looking around he saw his squad had dispatched the rest of the Kroot; another scout lay dead in addition to the main ones.

"Get the gene-seed into the cryo-case," he commanded as he bent over and yanked his combat knife and cleaned it on his camo-cloak. Then a burst of static from his vox-bead caught his attention.

"Brother-Sergeant, a xenos transport has entered the valley two hundred feet from your position and disembarked a team of hunters. Two kills have been confirmed with sniper rifles, but the Tau have boarded their transport again and are closing range," reported his second-in-command, Nero.

Belsarius did not waste time, removing his cryo-case from a belt pouch he took the geneseed that his men had collected, the glands still bloody were the combat knives had gouged them from the bodies of their brothers. The distance his ear could detect the faint sound of a silenced sniper fire.

"Let's get out of here, our brothers will cover us," Belsarius commanded as the scouts disappeared into the murky depths of the forests, leaving the bodies of their brothers behind.

Beta Squad withdrew also after giving some covering fire, and when the Tau Pathfinders finally secured the area, they found only the dead bodies of the Eagle Claws and the Kroot.

**Dalu City (Tau controlled)**

"This new threat is too great for us to ignore," O'Kir'cea stated, her eyes narrowing as they swept across the conference room. "If these Space Marines are anything like the corrupted ones I have faced in the Drengar Vash system, then we must not hesitate to respond with a swift and forceful attack. The Imperials must be stopped before they reach the city."

The Shas'o tapped a command into a small handheld device, and a shimmering blue figure blossomed out of the circular table at the room's center; a hologram. Standing nearly eight feet from head to armored boot, the Space Marine was a fearsome sight, clad in heavy armored plating and wielding a deadly looking chainsword in one hand. The other grasped a small bolt pistol, a primitive weapon by Tau standards, but a devastating one nonetheless.

"Many of you," Kir'cea continued, "have never faced one of the _gue'la'vre_. I would not expect it to be so, as the Imperials have not engaged us in full-scale combat for many years, barring an invasion of a certain star system in the West Empire."

The gathered Shas'els nodded in agreement. The fame of the conflict on Gereziad had spread far since its recent success.

"Therefore," finished the commander, "I am mobilizing the cadres. We must meet these Marines in battle, rather than let them slowly tear us apart with these attacks of theirs. Our weapons overpower theirs at range; therefore, we must drive them into the open."

"Shas'el Ni'shen," Kir'cea addressed an older-looking Tau sitting across the table. "You will assemble a combined cadre of battlesuits and heavy skimmers to strike at the enemy's heart. If the weapons of our infantry alone cannot match the might of the Imperium's warriors…then let them come. Let them face the _xar'kau'ui_."

**Near Astartes landing site**

Librarian Chemosian removed his hand from the skull of a man wearing a kind of Tau combat uniform with rank pins. The man's eyes rolled back, his mouth slacking open and drooling slightly. He was one of the many traitors that had gone over to the Tau when they first conquered the planet. The Eagle Claws had captured him trying to flee with a small band of human auxiliaries.

"I'm afraid he does not know much," Chemosian stated as a nearby Marine pulled out a bolt pistol and executed the traitor. "The xenos have not placed much trust in their human auxiliaries, but from what I can get past the propaganda, I have a general idea where the Tau are holding their prisoners," he explained.

"I see," Basiclus replied. He activated his personal vox-link and set it to reach across the whole force. "Brothers! Today we march on the heart of the alien resistance, Dalu City, we go to gouge the scum from their shell!" he shouted passionately.

There was a chorus of shouts from around the officers and through the vox-com. "Brothers! We ride to war! We ride to our destiny! We are the shining claws of the Emperor. We will not fail him! Brothers, ride to Dalu City!" he finished triumphantly as the voices of the Astartes exploded into shouts around him.

**A note from TheLoneHunter: **While I'd changed quite a lot in the first chapter, I have left the original writing largely untouched in this one. This is so that readers can see the difference in writing style, and possibly give constructive criticism to Gree.

-TLH

(Author's Notes from Gree) : So that's the second chapter, I am aiming to have a chapter each week if possible. The new space marine codex has not however left me too much time, trying to retructure my army for the new codex. Anyway we have the mention of the Lone Hunter's story in here, somthing which he wanted. Also I did some changes and made some of the lone sentences into paragraphs


	3. Second Blood

****

Author's notes: This is the last chapter the LoneHunter is going to do, because of his own concerns with his story.

Now another concern I have is the story, that it is not written well enough. Following some discussion with the LoneHunter I went over and did some minor editing with the chapter, trying to make the battle less one-sided. I have no illusions of being a spectacular writer. So I need all the help I can get into making this better. So if you have a review, positive or negative, I would appreiciate it.

**(Second Blood)**

**Guest Editor/Writer: TheLoneHunter**

The sun broke over the landscape as the Eagle Claws vehicles rumbled through the countryside, passing dilapidated farms and towns wrecked by the war. Some recently constructed Tau architecture could be seen, but most of the buildings were of the type still left over from Imperial times.

Barely a month earlier, a push had been made by the 56th Bezeil Light Infantry and the 131st Asklok grenadiers to try to force the Tau out of their positions in Dalu City. Unfortunately for the Guard, their force was intercepted and destroyed before it reached the outskirts. Some of the wrecked forms of the Leman Russ tanks and rotting corpses of the Guardsmen could still be seen lying in the grassy hills and ravines.

The thin gray smoke belched out by the columns created an almost invisible wreath over the Astartes transports as they rumbled over fields and dusty roads. These vehicles were roughshod warhammers, when compared with the graceful daggers that were the Tau skimmers.

Squads of Assault Marines flew through the air alongside groups of Rhinos and Predators, accompanied by a squadron of Whirlwinds, a pair of Razorbacks, and a trio of Land Raiders at the rear. The Second Company formed the bulk of this force, with only a few First Company veteran squads in support and several squad groups in the vanguard scouting ahead for signs of the Tau presence.

The Eagle Claws captain had anticipated that the Tau would move out, and was correct in this assumption. Now the aliens would try to get the range on the Space Marines and destroy them before they got too close. However, Basiclus had a plan.

High in the sky was Captain Kommneus and his Fifth Company, safe in the holds of the Eagle Claws ships and ready for a drop pod assault whenever Basiclus and his Astartes encountered the Tau. The xenos would most likely attempt to destroy them at range, but Basiclus would catch them between an anvil and a hammer from his own armored spearheads, and the hammer of the Astartes from the depths of space.

Sergeant Belsarius looked through the scope of his sniper rifle at the cadre of Tau soldiers emerging from nearby tree lines on the ridge. Behind them, several Devilfish transports disgorged squads of Fire Warriors, who quickly fell in with their footslogging counterparts. Flying from the ridge were the forms of at least a dozen Crisis suits, while a half-dozen Broadside suits moved up the ridge with five Hammerheads and a few smaller skimmers flanking them.

The Eagle Claws were clustered in a nearby set of ruined farmhouses at the edge of an abandoned farming village. Small copses of trees dotted the plains around them and rocky outcroppings.

''My lord'' Belsarius spoke into his vox-com, "we have sighted the enemy. They have deployed with at least battalion-level strength near the ridge with Kroot packs at the edge of the tree line and Stingwings,'' he reported in the Eagle Claws combat-cant, the language of their homeworld, so that no alien would be able to intercept the vox-link and decipher their plans.

''_Excellent, thank you for the news Brother.'' _Belsarius was mystified for a moment, but shrugged it off. The captain probably had a plan already, and as a good Eagle Claw, he trusted his superior officers absolutely.

''_Sir,''_ one of his scout sergeants reported over the link. _"There are at least two dozen shapes at the far range of my rangefinders. I believe that they are some sort of armored xenos reserve."_

''Understood, sergeant, Belsarius, begin your snipers' positions and hold, we will deploy with you. Our tactical maps have been updated and we will redeploy according to your information. Brother Kommneus and his brothers have also begun preparations for the drop. Praise the Emperor! Basiclus out.''

Belsarius ran the latest order through his head and calculated when the Eagle Claws convoy would arrive at their positions. ''Brothers! Mark your targets, in two minutes we open fire!'' he commanded.

* * *

**Southern ridge, overlooking the village**

Unbeknownst to the Space Marines, they too were being watched from afar, observed through the keen eyes of a group of Tau Pathfinders. Invisible to all but the most observant of onlookers, the team Dark Arrow lay prone on the ground near the ridge, their armor's active camouflage blending in with the stones and grass that covered the rocky ground.

"Dark Arrow Lead to Reconnaissance Command," one of the hunters, a Shas'ui sergeant, whispered into his helmet's comlink. "Targets are mobile. Transmit message to Tactical Command, targets are mobile and we've spotted hostile snipers in the abandoned fortifications. Expect heavy resistance from the _gue'la'vre_ warriors."

"_Copy. Remain in observation state only until you have a clear shot, then take out the snipers,"_ a Tau voice responded over the link._ "If your team comes under fire, retreat and find a new position immediately. Out."_

"Affirmative. Dark Arrow Lead out."

* * *

**Near the village**

As the vehicles of the Eagle Claws raced out into the open, the Astartes snipers hidden in the rough terrain opened fire on the masses of Tau infantry deployed in the foot of the terrain that the xenos occupied with their heavy support and long-range troops.

Belsarius's first shot tore through the skull of a Tau leader, a sergeant of sorts, and sent him sprawling dead to the ground. Other rounds rang out from the Marines and tore into the Fire Warriors. As their soldiers fell before the onslaught, the Tau responded quickly. Stealth teams moved out with packs of leaping Kroot beside them, while high on the cliffs, the Tau Pathfinder sniper teams made marks where the shots were coming from and returned fire.

Belsarius ducked as a hail of burst cannon rounds pulverized the wall above him. He instinctively rolled to the side and took up a position a foot away, centering his sniper rifle's crosshairs on a Fire Warrior. As he pulled the trigger, another explosion sounded nearby and his aim was thrown off slightly. The shot went wild, slamming into the ground next to the Shas'la's foot and causing it to run for cover.

The scout sergeant cursed as another explosion reverberated across the battlefield, followed by a scout's death scream. He moved again and realigned his sniper sight, pulling the trigger. This time, the round struck true, hitting another Fire Warrior through its neck seal.

The xenos vanguard neared the scout's positions, their burst cannons spitting death into the ruins. The bodies of a trio of scouts were blown apart like crimson flowers by the xenos cannons. Their surviving brothers returned fire.

From atop the ridge, a railgun shot rang out and tore into a Rhino, penetrating frontal armor with ease. Smoke poured from the wreck as the drivers of the other armored transports swerved around it, unloading their passengers as quickly as they could. Another shot blew a transport to pieces and sent its occupants bailing out with two of their number dead, their power armor breached by the explosions.

Basiclus's command razorback swerved to the right, the sudden movement jarring the captain who grabbed a rail to the side as a bolter flew from it's casing. ''Railguns!'' a driver shouted through the inter vox-link.

The rear transports of the convoy stopped and disgorged their contents, while to the rear, a techmarine deployed with a Thunderfire cannon. Acting by the will of the Machine Spirit, the gun swerved and opened fire.

The cannon shells lobbed into the air and landed among the enemy squads in cover, the airburst detonation exploded, sending shrapnel into the joints and exposed flesh of the hunkered down Tau, killing a half-dozen of them as more shells were lobbed into the forest.

From three of the rear transports came Devastators, two of the squads carried missile launchers while the last group carried arcane plasma cannons, rapidly the disciplined warriors of the Eagle Claws engaged the targeting systems of their armor and began to fire back into the xenos line, the missiles and blobs of plasma ripping apart Kroot and Fire Warriors.

The remaining vehicles burst ahead, through the storm of alien fire, the astartes drivers swerving their vehicles desperately to avoid fire as the behemoth's engines roared as if in distress.

The Eagle Claws captain cursed. ''Damn, we've got to close with them'' he muttered. He activated his vox-link. ''Brothers, full speed ahead and assume Assault formation Pattern Beta!''

The Eagle Claws moved into their standard armored assault formation; the Predators stopped in the center and opened fire with their weapons, the heavy bolters and autocannons chewing a bloody swathe through the packs of Kroot.

On the flanks, the transports swerved close to the xenos positions, some of them stopped as xenos fire finally disabled a few, but the lead transports stopped anyway, smoke launchers sending out gouts of gray to obscure the vehicles.

The enemy pulse shots flared through a curtain of gray, trying to find the Astartes, helped by marker lights, the shots blasted into the gray smoke cover, the sheer volume and spread killing several marines as they deployed hurriedly out of their transports, opening fire with their bolters. The captain himself opened fire with his bolt pistol, his command squad doing likewise as his Razorback's heavy bolter began to fire into the nearest knot of xenos, heavy explosive rounds blasting away chunks of flesh.

From the rear of the transports, the assault squads leapt over the tacticals and Basiclus's command squad, contrails of fire spiraling form their exhaust vents. A dozen marines landed near the groups of Kroot, their bolt pistols spitting death and the flamer sending gout of fire like the breath of a mythical dragon. The rest of the Astartes assault troops charged into the undergrowth and into the Fire Warriors while their brothers gave support.

The first Assault Marines crashed into the Kroot like a sledgehammer into rotten fruit, chainsword and bayonet-knives clashed as the assault troops of the Eagle Claws dove in. An Astartes bisected one with a pair of blows while a trio of Kroot tackled a Marine to the ground, alien knives and claws punching through his armor joints and ripping him apart.

The sternguard elite, Darius's group, scrambled out of their rhino with haste brought on by decades of combat experience. The sergeant barked orders to his squad, the Astartes smoothly exchanging their ammunition with practiced ease.

The bolters of the veterans spoke, this time with kraken rounds, the enhanced armor piercing bolts ripping through the carapace armor of the fire warriors easily. Behind them a predator destructor rolled up and added it's fire to the barrage.

Nearby another rhino with white veteran markings received a brief hurried vox transmission from the captain himself. Quickly they peeled away form the main attack and redeployed near the embattled scouts.

Loading their bolters with vengeance rounds and setting the range they opened fire. The energy-flux rounds ripped through the armor of the Stealth suits that the auto-senses of the Astartes could detect, however their stealth technology of the Stealth teams proved true and they held fast, despite half their number lying dead or wounded on the ground. The energy rounds in one bolter overheated, however, blowing off one armored limb. The Tau suits whirled and opened fire, killing two more sternguard veterans.

''Caius! Open fire with the missile launchers'' the scout sergeant barked. A frag missile issued out of the scout's hiding place and into the xenos battlesuits. ''Marines! Shift your fire into the xenos stealth troops! Force them back!'' he spoke quickly into the vox-link as burst fire from the stealth suits whipped back him.

The enhanced sniper sights of the scouts now stood a much better chance of taking out the hidden Stealth suits, the sound of sniper rounds going off was muffled by the silencers as the rounds penetrated the joints and weak spots of the stealth armor.

As they began to take casualties the Stealth suits fell back, jet packs lifting them up and away from the Astartes line, the occasional bolter round and sniper shot taking down some of the stragglers.

All around the battlefield, Basiclus's Second Company advanced through the undergrowth and toward the Tau positions, spreading out and taking cover from the enemy guns.

''Brother-Captain! Begin orbital drop at our coordinates!'' Basiclus activated his powerful vox-link in his armor, a transmission powerful enough to reach space, to the 5th Company in orbit.

Basiclus's sword cut a two-handed blow through the torso of a battlesuit as he and his command squad sailed out behind the burning wreck of a rhino into a group of Tau suits that had ambushed his brothers.

His relic blade sliced the enemy battlesuit in half at the waist, electricity crackled around the wound and the suit exploded, the heat washing over the Captain's armor as he rammed his power sword into the cockpit of another suit.

The Eagle Claws command squad swept over the enemy with power swords and fists, the energy sheathed weapons and the martial skill of the warriors ripping the Tau suits apart.

Nearby a squad of fire warriors advanced through the smoke of the battlefield and opened fire, heavy energy rounds from close range punched into a marine tactical squad near Basiclus's group and felled four marines.

Wheeling around the Astartes opened fire into the fire warriors, felling several as Basiclus raised his power sword and charged into another squad of fire warriors attempting to outflank his squad.

Hi power sword disemboweled a trio of fire warriors in a flash as his bodyguards piled into the xenos warriors, in less than a minute every single one of the fire warriors was dead.

As he yanked his sword out of a xenos corpse there was an explosion behind him and the captain was knocked to the ground, his iron halo flashing as waves of energy ran over his armor from the blast. Leaping back up he noticed a battle suit howling up a smoking fusion gun and jetting away from his command group.

He pulled out his bolt pistol and opened fire, exhausting the entire clip, the rounds being deflected off the armor the suit as it ducked and weaved his shots. Then the suit was shredded into scrap by a hail of rounds.

Basiclus looked up and raised his sword in greeting to a group of Eagle Claws terminators. Their sergeant, Trajan raised his own blade and then dove into the battle, storm bolter blazing.

Across the battlefield, Darius's sternguard squad advanced with Squad Laetres through a treeline firing off shots towards hidden Tau warriors deeper in the terrain. Then there was a sudden loud buzzing noise that cut thorough the harsh din of war around them.

''Vespids!'' one of the marines shouted and brought his bolter around and opened fire as eight winged warriors buzzed over the treeline, bobbing in midair like hideous flies. The hail of shots from the aliens cut down five marines in a deadly volley.

''Kill them! Kraken rounds, brothers!'' Darius raised his bolter and fired it full-auto from the shoulder. His veterans and Laetres's squads responded also as bolt round after round blew apart the insect warriors.

As the last Vespid's remains fell to the ground, a shot took off the head of a Marine and all the Astartes promptly took cover and returned fire to the last positions with remarkable speed and precision as energy rounds whipped around.

From the sky burning contrails of fire appeared from the heavens, striking the earth below like a thunderclap. The doors on the sides of the pods slammed to the ground and squads of Astartes, their armor symbols identifying them as the 5th Company, rushed out.

Four squads landed behind the Tau armored forces and opened fire along with a pair of Dreadnoughts; las-beams and krak missiles also accompanied the bolter rounds as the Marines poured in the fire.

From behind the Tau lines at critical points of the battlefield, Kommneus's Astartes appeared, spilling out of their drop pods to launch disciplined volleys of bolter fire at the most critical areas of the battlefield.

* * *

The Eagle Claws, guided by Captain Basiclus's tactical intuition, pressed the attack, dividing and conquering the Tau forces. Battlesuits were carefully destroyed with heavy weapons and infantry gunned down by massed bolter fire and flamers.

Slowly and bloodily, the Eagle Claws pushed the xenos back, pitting their gene-enhanced bodies and martial skills against the advanced techno-wizardry of the Tau. The alien warriors were brave and had superior numbers but they simply could not compete with the Eagle Claws' close quarters skills.

How many of the enemy was destroyed, could not be said, the Captain himself estimated that the enemy had retreated in good order, providing covering fire with their remaining battlesuits and tanks while infantry boarded transports.

The highest casualties were between the Vespid and the Kroot, whose' bodies where the first to be burned and destroyed by the victorious astartes, the Imperials unable to withstand that particular breed of alien.

As the afternoon sun set on the battlefield the marines were already preparing to move out once again, wounded warriors were being loaded on the surviving rhinos and tended to by the apothecaries, astartes that were too critically wounded even for the renowned skills of the apothecaries were given the Emperor's Peace and their geneseed extracted.

Ammo counters were being checked and tallied carefully by the watchful eyes of the techmarine Galba, the sum total of the Eagle Claws ammunition divided by his cold calculations and each marine given an equal share.

Two hours, imperial time, after the conclusion of the battle, as the last bit's of sunrays disappeared form the sky the Eagle Claws made way, a trio of land speeders leading the way of the astartes columns, striking swiftly to the marines objective, Dalu City.


	4. Hell

Author's Notes: Here is the latest chapter in Claws's Wrath. I have been thinking whether I should continue writing this or not, considering the lack of responses. But I have decided to continue, seeing that I enjoy writing this and it pleases me that people simply read and enjoy this.

* * *

The man shuffled down the streets, the sun was starting to set over Dalu city, and this man had a place to be. After all he did not want to be caught by the guard drones after curfew and sent to one of the Tau ''correctional'' faculties.

When the Imperial invasion began the Tau had placed a strict curfew in the human inhabitants of Karovioa as to limit the effects of any Imperial sympathizers linking up to the invaders. The man however was the furthest thing to an Imperial sympathizer. Beneath his skin was a heretical brand that, if revealed would proclaim his true allegiance. It would hide him from even the vigilant probes of the Inquisition. But against these Tau, with their native attitude towards chaos it was almost to easy for him.

He was of medium height, with sandy blond hair and a stubby nose. He was dressed in the hab worker overalls that were common among the average citizenry of Dalu City's workers. In short, he was completely average.

''Halt'' commanded a voice behind him.

The man stopped in his tracks. Behind him the audible sound of a tau grav-unit. A drone floated up next to him at eye level, pulse guns mounted underneath the bright crimson sensor arrays. The drone was more than a foot away from him; close enough to scan him, for weapons, but far enough to evade a sudden assault from the man.

''It is T-Minus eighty standard units to the curfew of sector Three-Four'' the thing rattled off robotically.

''You are advised to return to your dwellings. Failure to comply will result in stunning'' the drone said tonelessly.

''I have family business, my sister-in-law's house is nearby'' he said nervously, playing the part of the confused civilian to the hilt. The drone's eyepieces blinked briefly as it reviewed it's internal computer logs. ''Name'' it said.

''Jonas Quiten'' he replied nervously. Would he be caught?

After several agonizing seconds the xenos AI seemed to reach a conclusion. ''Affirmative, subject indeed has a female sibling from a common law marriage, please proceed'' it chirped before flying off.

The man held his breath for a few seconds before running down the nearby street corner, as far away from the police drone as he possibly could. It would not be fitting to get caught again.

He came up to a nearby house. A squat gray hab. He approached the black door and rapped his gloved knuckles on it several times in a seemingly odd pattern, after a few terse seconds a small notch in the door slid open.

A pair of blue eyes scanned him. ''Password?'' a reedy voice questioned.

The man's shoulders slumped. ''For the love of-'' he rubbed his eyes. ''It's me Durmic, just let me in'' he complained. The blue eyes shifted again. ''Password'' the man behind the door repeated. Jonas imagined he was getting some sick fun out of this. Durmic was Jonas's brother-in-law, a sick humorless man who hated Jonas. He was quite wealthy for a hab worker, which might have something to do for his contempt for the other man.

''Raising black sepia'' Jonas said, frustrated, his brow creasing. The latch slammed shut and the door opened a crack. The worker swept in and the door behind him was shut with a sharp quick crack.

Durmic was a tall, sallow-faced man with dark hair. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

''The Magister is waiting for you, he has the package. '' He said excitedly to the other cult member.

The previous feelings of frustration fell away as Jonas realized that this was it. All the mouths of planning and prayer had finally paid off. Tonight was the ritual in which the devotees of the true gods would reap the rewards of the warp. He followed Drumic down a set of stairs in the next hallway. Walking down to the bottom of the stairs it seemed to be just a typical hab basement with junk scattered and old furniture scattered everywhere.

But there was a lifted trap door in the corner, peering Jonas spotted the set of winding stairs and followed Durmic down the widening stairs, shutting the trapdoor behind him as he went. He came to a wide sub-basement. It was old. A relic of the earliest Imperial construction. The Tau had not known about it. Durmic's father had managed to keep this place a secret from their xenos masters.

In it were twenty people, gathered into a circle; all were in their normal attire. But in the ceiling hung a terrible green light, where the light struck the flesh of the cult members their skin brands were illuminated, vile runes glowing from their skin.

All were kneeling, on the floor was a dead corpse, it was a middle-aged man, probably a hab worker. His head had been tilted back, lips opened in a silent death-scream and his wrists slashed. His lifeblood was used to pain a giant symbol of chaos. A huge eight-pointed star in the basement floor, the cult members was gathered around the drying brown lines of the circle.

''Good, you have arrived'' a sibilant voice said. Both Jonas and Durmic turned around and fell to their knees in awe at a figure wearing a black cloak and golden theater mask.

''The ritual is about to begin, and you are almost late'' he chuckled.

''And while I can forgive this one time, I think you should go to your positions now'' he spoke out loud, his voice both seductive and terrifying at the dame time.

The two men hurriedly assumed their positions around the circle. Then as one, all the cult members clasped their hands together and began to chant line after line of daemonic prayer that the Magister had taught them. The figure walked in the middle of the star, at the apex where all the blood-lines drawn in the floor met. He raised his hands, letting the black robes fall away to reveal reptilian scales that covered his arms.

''My brothers and sisters'' he began, his charismatic voice enthralling the cultists. '' For too long have we languished on this world, abandoned first by the False Emperor'' his tone turned briefly to disgust.

''And now to these naïve little xenos, I think it's time for a change, don't you think?'' he questioned.

None of the cultists dared to answer him, all were perfectly set in their unholy ritual.

''Now Brothers and Sisters, with the arrival of a blessed one, sent from the heavens, a man that had cloaked himself as one of the Corpse God's servants, has given us the opportunity for change'' he rumbled out.

''The thrice-blessed man, got himself captured by the Tau, bringing war and blood to the lands around Dalu city, distracting and weakening the xenos, now that they are distracted, all of our brethren in the so-called Sector Wua'Vaun are performing the same ritual as us'' he informed them.

Although their stances had still not changed he could feel their shock and joy at the realization of the great plan. Insects like these should know at least what was going to happen before they joined the gods.

''And now, by the Six pleasures we call the Host forth'' he said, his voice grinding and terrifying, no longer charismatic and seductive, as if the speaker was suddenly filled with daemonic power.

''By the Seven Plagues we call the host forth'' another unholy preacher in the same city, with the same tone, in an abandoned warehouse three miles away uttered those evil words to another group of men and women.

''By the Eight-fold path we call the host forth'' snarled a hulking miner, deep in the bowels of Dalu city's sewers, were clusters of violent miner gangs had barely remained under Tau control.

Then in the Tau headquarters a single prisoner stood in a cell, hands clasped tighter, eyes closed tight in prayer. Inquisitor Lord Falvius Neer was tightly in prayer, beneath his skin a brand glowed.

''By the Nine curses of Tzeentch we call you, the Host'' he muttered. ''Kasrt, Est , Drakshair, it' Shornaal, Nurgleth, Khorne, Cheen!'' he spat out the final states of the ritual.

From nine different points around the city, things simply exploded with an unholy scream. Reality was slashed open, and like an open wound, the denizens of the warp, poured out, activated by the sacrifice of the latent psykers that had been recruited into the cults. From all types and forms they came, daemons of Khorne, Nurgle Tzeentch and Slaanesh all ripped into the material world, and began to butcher their way into the civilians just returning to their homes.

The warriors of Khorne ripped into civilian after civilian, breaking into private homes and hacking down man women and child with their glowing hellblades. Tall, muscular beasts with red skin howled into the night.

Beautiful, long-limbed she-devils danced among the fleeing crowds of civilians, gifting many with horrific gifts of pain and death. Limbs were carelessly removed and eyes plucked out by the laughing daemonettes.

Great sheets of magical flame burned bystanders to the ground, other flames produced by the manifold horrors of the daemons of Tzeentch, did not just burn, but froze and mutated men and women into new and disturbing shapes.

Yet more people where chopped down in the dozen by the ceaseless, workmanlike tread of the daemons of Nurgle, crowds of buzzing plague flies soon gathered around the corpses as night fell.

* * *

A single figure of a man strode down the shattered streets of Dalu City's Unity Plaza. He wore the ragged remains of a prison uniform, but on his forehead shown the eye-blasting rune of Tzeentch. Behind him hovered a tall spindly shape with bird-like wings and multiple glowing eyes scattered over rainbow-hued skin. A greater daemon of his patron power. It stared at him silently, clutching its silver staff.

His new found warp sight pierced solid walls and houses, no longer was he limited to the mundane physical world, he could see into the warp and into other dimensions and space unknown to mortals.

The Tau were at first taken by shock at this sudden enemy that had ripped its way into the heartland of their city. But to their credit and that of Shas'o Kir'cea, the Tau was able to rapidly respond to the daemonic assault. The Dalu city garrison was reinforced with the survivors from the earlier delaying actions with the marines to launch a new offensive against the horrors that were infesting Dalu city's streets.

Advanced battlesuits and large groups of fire warriors took o the streets, sending a storm of firepower into the chaos-spawned horrors, cutting down daemon after daemon in great waves. He sneered in contempt. However not all was going well for the Tau. The warpspawn counterattacked, using sorcery and inhuman fury to rip into the Tau defensive lines. Pressing at the head of this daemonic host was a huge winged daemon prince.

Flavius Neer, once a servant of the Imperium, he had traded life and soul to for immortality and power in daemonhood. He now stood at the cusp of immortality. He felt like a god.

The brand-tattoo under his skin felt like hot iron, but Neer cared not for the pain, already his psychic mind was opening up new possibilities, looking at the myriad strands of fate and rearranging them.

Flavius Neer was recruited from one of the Noble Houses of Dewlli Prime, an old and corrupt hive world. Inquisitor Lady Masdal, had seen a useful tool in the brilliant young man, for rooting out pleasure cultists in the planets corrupt aristocrats. Neer bloomed into a fine inquisitor and witch hunter. When Masdal died from a sniper cultist on some nameless backwater world, Neer requested a transfer to the Ordo Malleus for a fresh start.

It was there he discovered the true powers of the universe, he remembered with satisfaction. The power of the body was nothing compared to the mind. Using his inquisitorial influences and the pretext of infiltrating infamous Tzeetchian cults, he pursued the fell powers of chaos.

How much fool those wretches had been! Thinking that their petty plots would gain the attraction of great Tzeentch! He had worked hard to gain the manifold gifts of the Change God. He was not a psyker by birth, but Tzeentch's dark gifts included the mutation of sorcery, awaking latent psychic powers within him. Next followed the skin brand, a gift he introduced to the cults that he had started.

He had seen the failure of plenty of chaos cults within his service to the False Emperor. He had no doubt that his superior mind could easily establish a cult on some Imperial world and become a god, but there was that ever-present risk that he would fail. Then a brilliant idea hit him. He knew that the Tau, largely ignorant of the real dangers of chaos, had remarkable tolerance compared to the Imperium in religious matters, making them easy pickings.

He kicked aside a piece of rubble from some round alien tower and looked in, spying the scenes of devastation and ruin that had befallen the xenos' city. Looking down he saw a corpse of some alien functionary, The being had been sliced in half, it's eyes wide in horror as it's entire body below the waist was gone. Disdainfully Neer incinerated in with a thought of mental power. It was all too easy to him.

So for one hundred years he seeded cults on the planet of Karovioa, the imperial fools who lived there did not know that it was once an ancient battleground between the Word Bearers and the Ultramarines chapter. The powers of chaos ran strong in Dalu City's local area. After a century of prayer by the local cults he had established the ritual was completed and he prepared to ascend into immortality.

Now he merely had to slaughter the rest of the Tau and the newly arriving space marines ad everything would be perfect, from that kind of sacrifice even more daemons would be drawn to his world and he would rule it as a new world.

He imagined it, he as the king of a new daemon world, Tzeentch in ascendancy, with the servants of the others god's mere servants to his will. Karovioa would become the playground of Chaos. No longer would be a nobody slaving away for a soul-hungry dictator. He wanted to be live and prosper, to strike out those beneath him. He wanted immortality and life. Free from the Imperium.

It was not enough that he should succeed, he decided. All others must fail.

* * *

Shas'o Kir'cea stood out of her Crisis suit in her combat uniform and looked down at the burning remains of Dalu City. A feeling of sorrow and disgust ran through her body at the sight.

When she had returned from the retreat from the Space Marines she was shocked to see an invasion by a foe that had appeared out of thin air. In one fell swoop Dalu city, the Tau presence on the southern continent was gone. The failure weighed upon her heavily. She had sixteen years as a fire warrior, but this was her first command as a Shas'o, she had seen and fought against all manner of foes. But this kind of thing?

She had been assigned to command the military forces of this city and in that task she had failed in her mandate to govern and protect. But she would not let such feelings overwhelm her, she was a Shas'o.

''Shas'o'' a voice sounded near her. It was one of her Shas'vre.

''Ethereal Aun'el Sho'ka is present'' she turned and thanked him as the Ethereal arrived, robes billowing. His head cocked to one side.

''You are troubled, O'Kir'cea'' he stated. The Tau was an excellent reader of moods.

'' The loss of the city troubles you? Yes?'' he questioned her.

''In a way yes, we had held on the city as part of the Empire, we had promised the inhabits that we would protect it, and now almost all of them are dead'' she remarked with sorrow, casting her eyes over the desolation,

''The road of the Greater Good is rife with sorrow and hardship, but we must overcome in the name of T'au'' Sho'ka quoted one of Aun'va's many sayings on the greater good.

''You are right of course Aun'el, I have experienced death and destruction before. But it is not the defeat of loss of life, as regrettable to the Greater Good as it may be'' she said, eyes flickering back at the ruins.

''It is just that these…. Chaos followers are utterly mad. The Imperial Gue'la are barbaric enough but even they can be reasoned with to an extent. Chaos is utterly destructive and made, completely uncaring of their own lives for any cause other than senseless slaughter'' she remarked.

''These, things'' she spat in disgust. ''They are the worst'' The Tau had recorded unknown alien life forms seemingly teleporting into existence with their battles with Chaos Marines. But they had never seen it to this kind of scale.

To this date the Tau do not know the exact relationship that these ''Daemons'' have with the chaos Gue'la nor do they have any idea how they are to able to shrug off a railgun round or their mysterious methods of teleportation. Certain earth caste scientists believed that they were similar to necrons but that theory was unproven.

''I think, Aun'el, that for the first time in my life I genuinely hate a race, I pity the Gue'la, I pity the orks, the tyranids are mindless animals, the eldar are utterly inscrutable, but chaos….., chaos is utterly insane'' she finished, revulsion in her voice.

''There are races out it the galaxy that cannot coexist with the greater good no matter what, the orks and tyranids are some, the Gue'la can join use, but these species cannot, perhaps we can cause the chaos Gue'la faction to see the error of these ways If we destroy these… things'' he said, deep in though.

O'Kir'cea sighed. ''I am not a philosopher, Aun'el, but at the moment I will have to rescue the rearguard of my troops from the outskirts of the city, the less dead the better'' she said with finality.

Aun'el Sho'ka nodded. ''Of course Shas'O, may the greater good be with you'' he said as the female commander leapt into her command suit and plugged herself into the controls.

''Thank you, Aun'el'' she said as the chestpeice of her suit closed and she took off.

* * *

The devilfish crashed into the ground, the rear sections of its armor and engine block being engulfed in daemonic flames as the skimmer plowed into the dark rich earth below the transport. Behind it were several weird, worm-like daemons with multi-colored skin that floated across the ground, spitting bolts of flaming energy from circular fanged mouths, a –half-dozen of these beasts followed.

With an agonizing screech the plane of reality ripped open and several tall, crimson daemons materialized clutching huge swords and axes that flickered with red light as they charged towards the downed Tau transport. A single fire warrior clambered out. Shaking his head before spotting with horror the newly arrived bloodletters, he turned and searched franticly for his pulse rifle in the wreckage.

Behind him Kir'cea and her bodyguard of crisis suits landed near him. She opened fire with the ion blaster mounted on one limb and the pulse cannon on the other; her bodyguard did the same with their twin-linked burst cannons. The pulse rounds tore into the front ranks of the charging devils, shredding the red-skinned daemons easily in a hailstorm of firepower. The last bloodletter was banished screaming barley a foot from Kir'cea.

Her battle suit's sensor arrays then spied the flamer daemons, detecting their strange and random movements. ''Fire missiles'' she commanded her group. The shoulder-mounted missile pods swiveled and send a barrage of guided rockets out. A powerful set of explosions wreathed the flamers. When the smoke cleared only a single daemon wriggled desperately away. Kir'cea leveled her burst cannon and tore it to shreds in a single volley.

Behind the suits hovered a devilfish with the markings of a medical unit. ''Shas'o, we have only a single survivor, picking up now'' the voice of the pilot answered and the ramp lowered and the remaining fire warrior clambered in.

As the devilfish then sped away, Kir'cea's sensors registered movement. ''Over there Shas'o'' a panicked voice filled the comm. Looked over to where her Shas'vre indicated she spotted a huge form. The tall bird-like being looked at her quizzically. It vaguely reminded her of a kroot in some sick warped way. ''Kill it!'' she commanded, bringing her weapons around. Her bodyguards following her actions.

But before they could do anything the being raised one taloned arm and two dozen dark shapes were birthed into existence. They where huge, blue-skinned gargoyles that shirked and swooped towards the Tau. Reacting by reflexes of years of combat Kir'cea and the crisis suits opened fire, the burst cannons and her ion blaster sending countless bolts of energy into the warp-flesh of the furies.

Her suit shook as claws raked the armor, drawing deep gouges into the alien metals, she activated her jet pack, blasting back from daemons as a evil leering visage appeared in her views screen. He raised her ion blaster and blew the daemon into a dozen pieces in a hailstorm of ion blasts. A scream sounded on her suit-com as one of her comrades was torn to shreds by a quartet of rampaging furies.

The other Shas'vre followed her into the air. Below six daemons leapt from the earth and flew up. A rune flashed on her viewscreen, informing her that her suit's missiles had finished reloading. With a grim smile she opened fire along with her comrade, the furies screeched in hatred as they were finally banished back into the warp in a cavalcade of pulse bolts and missiles from the Tau.

When the furies disappeared Kir'cea whirled around weapons at ready. But there was nothing, she activated her long-range sensors, still nothing to detect. It was as if they thing had vanished into thin air.

She fought down the realization that it probably had done that.

''Shas'o, we must withdraw'' her remaining bodyguard said to her. She snapped back to reality. ''Of course, disengage'' she commanded, sparing one last look at the body of her fallen guard, sorrow consuming her at the loss of a valued bond-mate, but she brushed it off reluctantly and withdrew.


	5. Daemonkillers

Author's note: This is the latest chapter, enjoy.

**CLAWS' WRATH**

**ROAD TO DALU CITY**

Ahead the armored vehicles of the Eagle Claws pushed out. The first vehicles in the column were those of the Second Company, by the unit markings. To the sides of the column moved the scout astartes, quickly and efficiently, watching out for any surprise attacks.

A thin streak of smoke moved across the sky as the lead rhino moved from high ground into a lower plain that lay before Dalu city. The front hatch popped open and a marine rose out and observed the smoking ruins in the distance. Frowning beneath his helmet he activated his vox-link.

''Brother-captain, we have a situation here'' he reported. After a moment came Basiclus' reply.

''What is it brother-sergeant?'' he questioned. The marine looked again, his gene-enhanced vision checking the sight again in disbelief.

''It appears our target area is destroyed my lord'' he reported. After a few seconds the captain came back again.

''What?'' his commander said in disbelief. ''I will be transmitting the image to you now sir'' the marine said hurriedly.

In the cramped confines of his command razorback Basiclus studied the image, as it appeared grainy on the tactical slate he held. It appeared that Dalu city had been torn apart in a storm of destruction from what he could see from the poor resolution. Cursing at the strange event he moved out of his seat and looked out of the command hatch. From there he got to see the ruins with his own enhanced vision. The city was indeed wrecked heavily, by an invading army, but more was hard to tell from this distance.

He went back inside the vehicle, silently running through ideas, and even for a space marine Basiclus was a fairly reserved man. From what he understood of the Tau they valued lives more than property, however the type of damage did not seem like a controlled demolition and he was sure that the Tau would not damage their own homes like that. So what happened? There were supposed to be no other Imperial forces operating in the area, much less a force that could overwhelm a strong Tau garrison and disappear from nowhere. It was all very puzzling.

''Brother-captain'' this time it was the distressed voice of Chemosian. The librarian was obviously worried about something.

''My lord-captain I sense something wrong in the air, there is a heavy warp presence in the city'' he said hurriedly, busily concentrating.

''What? Chaos? Here?'' Basiclus said in disbelief. He quickly disabused himself of that thought. Chaos was present everywhere and he was not surprised that it had somehow flourished among the Tau. But in such a heavy warp presence.

''Librarian, move up with your squad, and then he opened himself up to the larger tactical link. Squads Pompey, Quintus, Demetrius, Laetres, Karus, Scipo, move up with your escorts and take point, let's find out what happened here'' he commanded and broke off the link.

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**OUTSKIRTS OF DALU CITY**

Ahead the vehicles of the astartes moved out in standard armored formation advocated by the codex. Rhinos in back with Predators and Vindicators in front to provide adequate fire support. The Eagle Claws group moved into the outskirts of the city, with still no sigh of the enemy. They passed ravaged and blasted out homes and apartments, everywhere the ruins of Tau architecture mixed with older imperial buildings could be seen. Also, everywhere was mutilated corpses.

''Nothing so far brother-captain, just dead xenos bodies'' the Librarian voxed his leader.

''Understood'' came the reply. ''Press on, we will keep within reinforcing distance of you and inform me of anything else'' rang Basiclus's sharp voice.

Laetres rubbed the service studs on his shaven head before placing his combat helm back on. His group had been reinforced ''On the march'' by brothers from the reserve devastator squads, so now that they numbered ten men once again. Considering the recent circumstances he and his new squad-mates and meshed well.

''Alright, we stop here'' came the voice of the driver-brother. After a few seconds the convoy ground to a halt and a resounded series of clangs as the landing ramps dropped from the rear of the amethyst vehicles and the Eagle Claws poured out. ''Too much rubble nearby for us to search brothers,'' said the voice of the driver over the vox-link. Laetres gave the rhino marine driver thumbs up before turning around.

''Aright, let's move out men and see what the hell happened here.'' He commanded.

''Brother-sergeant'' came the voice of Librarian Chemosian as he came out of his rhino, accompanied by Squad Darius. His tanned, noble face looked weary and his short, gray hair, messed.

'' It appears that the powers of chaos are behind this attack.'' He spoke. Laetres looked around.

''What makes you say that brother?'' Laetres questioned, he did not really understand the rituals of the Librarium but trusted Chemosian, was this some odd psychic power? The librarian simply pointed at the chewed corpse of a Fire warrior.

''They have symbols of the dark gods cut into them.'' he explained dryly.

Laetres bent over and grabbed a corpse, examining the eye blasting runes that looked like they had been gorged into the warrior's body armor by a claw of jagged knife of some sort. He threw it away feeling foolish. Him a battle-hardened space marine missing a thing like that!

''I guess you really are more observant than that' he joked. Chemosian did not respond but gave an amused smile.

''I sense more of them pressing at the boundaries of reality, but they abate now'' he paused.

'' No Wait, they come now'' he raised his voice. ''Brothers! We are under attack!''.

Rapidly the astartes snapped around, bolters held at ready, combat reflexes honed by dozens of battles ready to engage whatever appeared.

In the middle of the street in front of them a howling noise sounded and red smoke appeared out of nowhere, from that smoke emerged the solidifying shapes of huge, skinless hounds that wore great brass colors around frilled necks. The first wolf-like hounds that appeared were blasted to bits by a hailstorm of bolter rounds from the disciplined Eagle Claws. But then ethereal screaming surrounded the astartes and they looked uneasily around, something about that unnerved even marines. Laetres snorted.

''Keep fast brothers, the Emperor and his primarchs are with us'' he spoke outloud with confidence.

Then dozens of shapes began to manifest in the ruins. Shapely devil-women wearing blood-slicked leathers and had huge, crab-like claws for hands appeared. Instead of normal eyes they had saucer, shaped black pits and a mouthful of fangs. Pink musk started to appear around them.

They leapt and pirouetted towards the Eagle Claws, laughing evilly. They were cut down by bolter fire as the astartes moved quickly so that their combined fire would produce an overlapping effect. Rounds blew off slender feminine limbs and enchanting heads. Librarian Chemosian reached out with his mind, stripping away the warp-protection of the daemonettes, making it easier for his brothers to slay them. Between the marine tanks and the squads almost all of the daemonettes were cut down quickly, dying scarcely a foot away from the astartes, but a few made it through, four daemons leapt among Quintus's squad, claws ripping two astartes apart.

Another marine lost a hand before Laetres and his group piled in. Bolters and combat knives carved through the daemonettes, Laetres's power fist crushed the last head of the surviving she-devil and cast the dissolving corpse away disdainfully. ''Daemon scum'' he spat. He turned around only to see a massive shape materializing in the distance, followed by many other smaller ones. Nearby screamed several flying disc-like shapes that decapitated a single marine with a quick pass.

Nearby a pair of predators tracked the quick-moving shapes of the flying daemons and downed them with concentrated fire from heavy bolters, autocannons and las-fire, shredding the attackers with a holocaust of munitions.

Grinding the gravel behind him, Laetres spotted the crimson forms of Khorne's footsoldiers, the Bloodletters. While above flapped a huge bird-like figure that cocked its head. From combat reports Laetres cognized the terrible form of a Lord of Change. One of his squad swore in Caesarean combat-cant and dropped to this knee and fired his rocket launcher into the charging blood letters as the astartes directed their fire into Khornate warriors, cutting down the first rank, but more were appearing.

In the distance another huge figure appeared. It was a tall, deathly figure clad in warped green power armor that stretched its huge frame. A former space marine, and of the Death Guard if Laetres' Intel was correct. The daemon prince stretched huge, carrion wings and it's rotting, skull-like face broke into a hideous grin before lifting off and flying towards the beleaguered Eagle Claws. Nearby more carmine bloodletters and bloated, corpse-like daemons materialized.

''Get back to the transports!'' shouted Chemosian as his brothers turned back and hurried obeyed his command, firing from the hip as they went.

''My lord! We are under attack! We need assistance!'' he hurried shouted into his vox-link.

The rear door shut behind Laetres as he and his squad piled in. He has the last of course; a good sergeant never sacrificed his battle-brothers. The rhino revved and moved out following the other tanks. ''Hand on brothers, we are on for a hell of a ride!'' shouted the driver.

The transport revved and moved out in an armored column. Daemons appearing all around the tanks as they drove. For a minute Laetres could see and hear nothing outside the Rhino, then there was an ear-splitting screech and the tank was torn in half. Laetres went flying from the wreckage. The marines spilled from the ruined husk. Being thrown from a destroyed tank would have killed a normal man but Laetres was unaffected by the fall due to his power armor and gene-enhanced body.

Getting up he tore his damaged helmet off his face and looked up. In front of him was a massive half-daemon, half machine beast. Standing on four great spider-like legs it had a heavily muscled upper form and two great bladed claws. Pipe-like horns rose from its bovine head. It turned from its position in an ally and plucked the burning corpse of the driver from the rhino and tore it in two. It brought its left claw around, crushing two of Laetres's squad as they charged the daemon with krak grenades primed.

Nearby the great Nurgle prince landed, eyes staring malevolently. Sucking in its great barrel-chest it let out a stream of black filth into the marines of Quintus's squad, who had spilled out of their rhino to assault the daemon machine beast. Four astartes screamed as they fell, armor burning away like acid as the filth dissolved them into slush. Quintus screamed in rage at the loss of his battle brother's geneseed. In the Eagle Claws the recovery of geneseed was valued heavily and the loss of it was a deep blow.

The sergeant brought his power fist about and charged towards the Nurgle daemon prince. A crash sounded near Laetres, distracting him. The Soulgrinder brought its claw down at the sergeant, but Laetres rolled out of the way, just barely in time. He activated his own power fist and charged forward, ducking under the claws and bringing the energized fist around, smashing into the front, right leg of the beast, ripping through warp-powered metal and rotting flesh.

The leg was torn clean off and the beast roared again. Aglesius, another one of Laetres's marine charged forward and attacked a krak grenade to the leg of the Soulgrinder, mangling the other one. It roared in pain and rage as the other astartes of Laetres' group pelted it with bolter fire.

He reached out and tore Aglesius in half. Laetres snarled in frustration and hatred at the monster. He leapt up and brought his fist in a glowing arc, tearing through the stomach were it was jointed to the legs. A massive wound was ripped into the beast and purple ichor poured out. Brother Talus took out his entire supply of krak grenades and threw it into the open wound. Eyes widening Laetres threw himself back as the blast tore the Soulgrinder into pieces.

Bits of daemon and warp metal rained down on the ground. Laetres picked himself up. ''That was completely reckless, against the Codex astartes, but it worked like hell'' The first sergeant spoke to his brother.

''Of course captain'' answered the line brother doggedly.

A scream of rage distracted the marines of Squad Laetres the Nurgle prince tossed away the corpse of Quintus and two of his brother marines as he staggered back from a mighty chest wound, he roared and cut down three more astartes of Quintus's squad. The last member of Quintus's group fired his bolter point blank into the daemon's face, blowing off half the prince's face. However the horrific wound did little to slow down the former Death Guard. The daemon prince raised his filthy claw and tore off the astartes' head in one stroke.

Before Laetres and his group could react. A pack of bloodletters rounded the cover, behind the prince. Swearing loudly, Laetres cocked his bolter and emptied the entire magazine and his brothers followed the same. Nearby a damaged predator destructor fired its heavy bolters and autocannon at the daemon prince who simply strode forward through the hailstorm of firepower while the bloodletters where slaughtered all around him.

Laetres swore as the great rotting figure spread it's skeletal wings and sucked it's rotting chest back, no doubt ready to unleash another wave of rotting death into the men of the First squad, Laetres leapt back to avoid the shot.

Then the nearby building wall crashed down as the massive form of a Land Raider Redeemer crashed through the wall. The front hull of the Redeemer crashed into the huge daemon prince, sending it flying into a nearby ruined shack. The front ramp flew down the terminators of Squad Rabix exited, thunder hammers and lightning claws held at ready. They charged the hulking form of the daemon prince who rose out of the rubble, enraged.

Thunder hammers tore off the former Death Guard's left arm and lighting claws gouged massive wounds in the putrid armored skin of the daemon prince who lashed out, decapitating a lighting claws terminator and smashing a thunder hammer marine to the ground. He brought his claws around for another strike. The great lengths of warp-bone striking against the storm shield of Sergeant Rabix, right before he brought his thunder hammer down upon the daemon's skull, crushing it.

The rest of the First Company terminators swarmed around the daemon, raining blows upon the rapidly dissolving corpse until there was nothing left but a blackened mark from the banishment of the daemon prince. All around Laetres were the rest of the Eagle Claws strike force, rhinos drove up and deployed their cargo, bolters spitting, vindicators and predators found their targets and engaged.

In less than a minute the surviving daemons that were attacking the forward marine strike force were all slain and banished. They did not go quietly however, three more astartes died before they all were done.

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In the aftermath of the assault Captain Basiclus strode out of his command razorback to over were Apothecary Claudius was operating on several wounded marines, some from Laetres's squad.

''How many did we get back?'' the captain said, referring to the geneseed.

''Eighteen'' the apothecary replied in a neutral tone, although Basiclus knew the loss of the geneseed would have troubled the medic more than other marine in the chapter and that was saying a lot.

''Do not worry, when we find the one who brought these daemons to the planet, he will meet a painful end, I will personally shove my power sword down his throat'' the captain assured the apothecary who merely smiled.

Nearby walked Librarian Chemosian and Laetres. ''Brother-captain, I need to speak with you'' the psyker requested.

The marine captain turned, ''What news do you bring me brother?'' he questioned.

''I have sent the communication to the ''Emperor's Claw'' as you ordered sir.'' Chemosian replied, referencing the Eagle Claws battle barge.

''I have found some interesting things about the city from the orbital shots'' he spoke eagerly.

''What have you found?'' asked Basiclus.

''There is a large warp portal in the center of the city, with eight others surrounding it, if one draws ''lines'' between the points then we can see it would be an eight-pointed star of chaos'' he said. He gestured to the ground.

''I would draw it for easier sense, except for obvious reasons it would be a bad idea'' the librarian explained.

Basiclus raised one hand. ''No, it is fine brother, what I am more concerned about is how to stop the daemonic flood here and find the inquisitor'' he commented, obviously his mind was hard and work, brow furrowed.

''If I might offer a suggestion sir'' offered Laetres.

''Maybe the Tau have taken him?'' he spoke.

''That is a possibility'' the Second captain said, head nodding slowly, but why would they when they just got rushed by a daemon horde?'' questioned Basiclus.

''I don't like this, it's a bit too confusing, we come here kill some xenos, grab the inquisitor and leave'' said Laetres.

''Agreed'' spoke Basiclus, rubbing his chin with one gauntleted hand. ''Obviously we have to stop the daemons here before it can spread across the planet, I am confidant on the fact that the xenos will not be in much of a shape to operate in the southern theater after the casualties they sustained fighting us and the daemons'' he calculated.

''Brother captain'' spoke Sergeant Belsarius, who appeared from the shadows of a building.

''We have received a message drone from the Tau they wish to speak with use'' he reported quickly.

''Kill them'' were Laetres first words.

''Trust not the word of a xeno.'' He said hatefully, spitting to the side, burning a hole in the rubble.

''Agreed brother, but we can learn of the location of the inquisitor from them, and we will kill them shortly after, you have no doubt of that.'' He said vehemently.

''But allying with xenos? Brother I must say my hesitancy on this, they will surely try to trick us'' argued Laetres.

''Of course I expect them to, it's what all xenos desire after all, but at the moment I need some information rather than stumbling around blind, rest assured we will have our vengeance on them'' said Basiclus coolly.

Laetres fell silent and nodded his head. The Eagle Claws were as xenophobic as the rest of the Adeptus Astartes and the Imperium, but the fact that all astartes were taught unquestioning obedience to their officers and the promise of battle with the xenos satisfied him.

''Well then'' Basiclus said.

''Let's get out of here and withdraw to the outskirts and contact the Tau and see what we have here, once that is done we move in, destroy the warp rift and go back to orbit'' he said.

''Remember, we are the Claws of the Emperor, his sword, we will not fail him. ''Persta Atque Obdure'' Stand firm and have strength, his personal motto.


	6. Meetings

**(Prelude to the End)**

**Dalu City outskirts**

Basiclus and his senior officers met on the outskirts of the city edges, beyond the destroyed husk of Dalu. Their meeting place was on old toll station just west of Dalu Hab Gate. They stood in a rough circle, Basiclus, Chemosian, Britannicus, Laetres, Fulgerion, Trajan, Belsarius, Lakaris and Kommneus among several other ranking sergeants stood a short distance away respectfully.

The land around them would have looked peaceful, the dustlands now covered in smoke and ash blown by wind from the blasted out ruin of Dalu city, it was now covered in groups of Eagle Claw vehicles.

Basiclus held a portable holo-slate on the ground and activated it. On it popped up a three dimensional graph of Dalu city, pre-destruction and what the Imperials had managed to glean from orbital scans.

''From our initial forays into the city we have been ambushed and have not found much'' the second captain started.

He nodded to Chemosian. ''Our noble librarian here has confirmed that there will not be any easy thrust'' he stated.

''I have nothing but praise for my brothers, captain, much did the multiplying blasphemies of the warp come upon them, and much did they throw them back'' replied the astartes librarian.

''A worthy assessment brother'' said Kommneus. ''But what of our mission? I know we have disrupted the xenos presence here in this sector, but what of the valued Inquisitor? Were will we find him?'' he questioned.

''I don't now yet'' admitted Basiclus painfully. ''I had thought of sending worthy Belsarius to scout with our land speeders, but according to combat-recordings there is the presence of the disc-daemons which present a danger'' he said.

''So are we just to give up and leave? Like dogs? We are the Eagle Claws, the chosen of the Emperor and Primarch, we do not run away like dogs with our tails between our legs!'' snarled Lakaris.

''What other choice is there? The inquisitor is most likely dead! Do you really think that the daemons would spare him? His soul is gone! There is nothing more that we can do for him, we have already won much honor here, let us leave.'' recommended Kommneus.

''We have slain the xenos yes. Brother-Captain'' interjected Laetres, ''But we have lost brothers here, we can not return to the Guard and have them think of us as failures and cowards!'' he argued hotly.

The captain of the 5th company looked at him coldly.

''Watch your words First-Sergeant of the Second, you are a line sergeant of ten brothers, you do not understand the burden of a hundred marines'' he replied.

He gestured. ''We have slain the Tau barring the way, through no fault of our own and have been only stopped by a cruel twist of fate, the Inquisitor's secrets will not be given to the xenos, Dalu city will be cleansed by orbital fire and the crusade continue'' he finished.

''How can you say that brother, I must agree with Laetres'' Lakaris argued back. Basiclus had to admit that the seventh captain had balls arguing to a battle company captain, but now it was enough.

''All silence!'' Basiclus spoke, not shouting but raising his voice just enough so to break through the hot veil of anger that shrouded the minds of the Eagle Claws. Even Kommneus would listen to him, as Second Captain and heir apparent to the chapter master.

But right now Basiclus was worried. He was in a bind, something he was not used to. Some of his astartes wanted to push on, others wanted to retreat considering they had already really accomplished their mission. What was he to do? As a officer in the Eagle Claws he was to lead by example, any decision he made would be final to be obeyed by the men, otherwise Kommneus and Lakaris might split their forces and go in separate differences in not for him.

Obviously he knew that Dalu City had become an eyesore to be eliminated as soon as possible, that much was true, with the deamonic presence, but Basiclus was loath to leave such a mission unfulfilled.

He was torn between the two decisions.

Then an idea struck him, a possible heretical idea. He knew that it would discomfort his brothers, just as it was discomforting him, but it was a better option with the ability to regain their honor.

''I have an idea, some of you obviously might not like it'' he began. All heads turned towards him.

''It concerns the xenos; they would know what happened and would be able to confirm if the inquisitor is dead or not.''

One.

Two.

Three.

It was on the fourth second that it all exploded.

''What the hell are you saying? Association with xenos! Second-Captain that borders on heresy!'' sputtered Kommneus.

''I must agree with the captain of the Fifth, that is outrageous!'' Lakaris replied.

Well, Basiclus thought, they were not at each others throats.

''It's not like we will lower ourselves to an alliance, if we can merely tell them that the enemy of my enemy is my temporary ally, then you can get that information out of them'' he spoke.

''Trust me, it galls me to try and trust the xenos, but I value the honor of the Eagle Claws more and would not have a black mark stain the chapter of failure, any association with xenos will be more than balanced by continued participation the liberation of the planet'' he continued.

Kommneus looked at him dubiously. ''If even what you say is true, would not a black mark also be association with xenos? Remember brother-captain, even the smallest cracks in faith can prove to the downfall of the most pious man'' he stated.

''Are you suggesting that I am a at a weakness? No, I hope I did not hear you say that brother'' Basiclus replied with reproach.

''As I said before, I will gladly dissolve any potential distasteful alliance and strike out against the Tau, even as xenos they still have proven themselves to some worthy foes.'' he said.

''And how will the Tau react to your offer? How will we contact them'' Laetres interrupted.

''We have butchered and burned our way through their ranks, how can they receive our offer in good faith?'' he questioned.

Before any of the astartes could answer a figure approached them, Belsarius, still wrapped in his camo-cloak and carapace armor paused briefly, saluting before speaking.

''Lord-Captain, a single Tau drone has approached our pickets, it appeared unarmed and it gave a message to the patrol requesting a meeting with whoever was out leader, I assume they meant you sir?'' he said.

''Well, speak of the devil'' Chemosian muttered.

''Sir this is most definitely a trap'' Kommneus argued.

The second captain nodded his head. ''You are probably right.'' But mentally he thanked the Emperor to give him this opportunity to get out of this mess.

''I am no fool.'' He assured them.

''I will go with my command squad, minus Apothecary Claudius, and first Squad Laetres and Squad Rezarin, they will accompany me to a meting, I want the rest of the force however deployed and ready under your command Kommneus'' he said.

The Fifth captain looked slightly surprised at the last bit, but recovered quickly, Basiclus. ''My brothers, do not worry, trust in the Emperor, if I die then you can take your vengeance on the xenos for me'' he said.

* * *

**A hill outside Dalu City**

Night fell over the outlaying scrublands, the crescent-moon of Karvioa Prime's principal satellite hung over the sky, illuminating the land below with a pale silvery glow that gave the land an ethereal quality below.

A trio of purple vehicles moved in an arrowhead formation, one Basiclus's command razorback, the other two rhinos belonging to Laetres and Rezarin's groups, took position in the rear of the group. When the transport group came to the top of a small hill they stopped and engorged their occupants, Basiclus and his command squad, Lucius with the Power Fist, Lexaus, Ienzo and Blaig, he had still not found a fifth astartes for his squad.

To the left took up Laetres with his depleted squad, to the right was Rezarin. Rezarin was the sergeant of the Fifth squad and sergeant for six years, already he had distinguished himself by killing one of the kroot leader beasts earlier in the campaign.

All of the astartes were alert and spread out, bolters and ready and heavy weapons prepared to an incoming assault in the standard codex astartes fashion, a formation that was practiced countless times by each marine. A cold wind howled across the grassy kill, several skeletal bushes shuttered in the wind and the astartes looked passive, their dark purple armor looking almost black as they looked around.

''Do you think they are coming?'' Rezarin said in the astartes combat-cant.

''Most likely, I find it hard to believe that they ran away so suddenly'' the captain replied back over the vox-link.

Laetres snorted. 'I would be unsurprised if they did not come'' he argued.

Then a small whining noise came to the attention of the astartes, a pair of devilfish transports and a pair of crisis suits where coming into view from the distance. The astartes had not detected them because of the outlying forest which the xenos had used to cloak their movements, clever he had to admit.

''Do not open fire brothers, yet, however if they try anything at all, feel free to respond'' Basiclus commanded, Laetres chuckled darkly, Rezarin maintained his composure along with the rest of the marines.

The Tau came up, Devilfish transports deploying to the sides before disgorging their cargo, Tau armed with pulse rifles, from their form and movement Basiclus could discern they were Tau elite forward troops, ''Pathfinders'' from the data-briefings.

He moved quickly and in a spread-out formation, ready for combat, not that Basiclus blamed them, he would have them the same if he were the xenos. As they came near the Eagle Claws came to attention. The Crisis suits that landed before him gently were of a command model, Basiclus had identified several before in the battles when the Eagle Claws advanced towards Dalu city, but he had not seen one with this high a rank.

''To whom do I speak xenos?'' he questioned. The sensor-rigged head of one of the suits turned to look at him, an almost human gesture the astartes captain found odd because from what he knew of the Tau the cockpit was located in the torso of the suit.

A snort buzzing sound reached his ears and the Eagle Claws tensed, but that sound stopped and the lead battlesuit began to speak.

''I am Shas'O Sa'cea Kir'cea, commander of the Empire's forces in Dalu city'' she said.

The voice was female but the tone was oddly mechanical and slow. A translator of some sort Basiclus guessed, he had been expecting the Tau to have something like that, a good thing since the astartes captain had no knowledge of the Tau language.

''Formerly'' she corrected herself quickly.

''Well then, xenos, why have you called me here? I can only logically summarize because of the recent invasion by the daemons into your city'' the captain addressed her.

''A full-blown invasion by the warp entities did occur, Yes'' the sensor head cocked to the side. ''Would you like to know the cause of it Gue'la?'' she questioned, Basiclus though he could hear a faint note of amusement in her voice but he wasn't sure.

''Why would I want to know what lax security you xenos perform?'' He shot back.

A drone then floated besides the battlesuit. ''Then Gue'la, perhaps you would be surprised to see for yourself.'' She replied.

The top of the drone slid back and a sort of holo-projector rose, as the marines looked on warily. ''You have placed too much trust in your allies Gue'la'' she said as the projector activated.

It showed the form of Flavius Neer, Basiclus recognized the man from the Inquisitorial data sent to the Claws battle barge. He was in a prayer position, but what was disconcerting was the circle of an eight-pointed star he had drawn with his own blood around him.

''This was taken from our security cells'' Kir'cea said. Basiclus listened as the Inquisitor chanted a Chaos spell. Then the holo-projection went white before changing to an aerial image of rampaging daemons.

''This one was taken from out aerial recon units'' this time the man-like figure was walking through the streets, surrounded by leaping daemons, seemingly unconcerned by the destruction being visited.

''Enough'' Basiclus's voice rang clear across. ''I have seen enough'' the drone shut itself off and flew away.

''How do I know this is not a trick xenos. A trick to distract us while you strike with our backs turned. '' he accused.

The sensor-head merely started back at him. ''I care not what you think but I know that you Gue'la despise the warp entities over any other faction in space, we are leaving, we have lost enough lives for the Greater Good here'' she said.

''You can either fight the enemy in front of you or you can fight an enemy that flees away from you. The choice is yours Gue'la'' with that she activated her battlesuit and flew away, the pathfinder moving back into their transports.

As the great fish-like transports lifted off and flew into the distance Basiclus turned and walked back to his command Razorback.

''My lord they are lying surely!'' Laetres said.

''That may be'' the captain replied, not bothering to turn around yet as he reached the loading doors of the Razorback,

''But I will not speak with you about that, save it for your peers'' he said.

At this point the first sergeant knew better than to argue. So he kept his mouth shut and boarded. Scarcely minutes after the two sides had meant they now sped back away to their respective armies.

* * *

**Eagle Claws convoy**

As Basiclus sat in his Razorback a transmission filled the cramped transport bay of the vehicle.

''My Lord-Captain'' the fearsome image of Chaplain Britannicus appeared on the green-transmission screen near the form of the battle-captain.

''Yes brother?'' Basiclus questioned, what was so important he could not wait until Basiclus reached them himself? Was there an attack underway?

''I hope this is heartening news'' he said.

''I hesitant to say brother, but we have received a transmission from Inquisitor Yulz Winfelt in orbit, I would suggest that you see it immediately, he is most insistent on the matter'' the Chaplain rumbled.

Baisclus considered his options for a few moments. ''Very well'' he replied. ''Put it on now'' he commanded.

After a few seconds Brittanicus's image flickered and changed to receive a transmission from the orbital ships. Most Astartes vehicle transmission equipment would be unable to receive such a transmission but Basiclus's command Razorback was fitted with additional advanced receivers. On the sketchy screen came the image of a dark-skinned man with a shaved head and strong features. He wore a dark stormcoat and a golden Inquisitorial rosette hung from his neck. The background was that of the orbital transmission bridge, filled with dark carvings and inlaid metals.

''Greetings Brother-Captain'' he voice was strong and flinty; there was no sign of outlaying weakness.

''Greetings, Lord Inquisitor'' Basiclus began, 'I am afraid I am at somewhat of a loss as to this call, I have already talked with your collages be-''

''Acolyte Xeamus is a heretic, Captain, he has been arrested and is currently under the attentions of my Interrogation servitor'' he said bluntly. For a moment the astartes captain was shocked.

''Was Acolyte Xeamus privy to some bit of heresy then?'' Basiclus questioned.

''His master, Inquisitor Flavius Neer, is not a member of Ordo Xenos, he is of Ordo Malleus and a radical, corrupted by the very forces he fought against'' Winfelt informed him.

''I have been on the path of Neer for some time. My storm trooper detachment raided the quarters of his servant Xeamus, aboard the Crusade command ship, were they have uncovered damming evidence of Xeamus's heresy and by extension Neer's'' the Inquisitor explained.

''What disturbs me is that he petitioned you with the mission to rescue the Inquisitor from the xenos'' added Winfelt, his face unreadable.

''Are you accusing me and the chapter of heresy? I would not stand for being used Inquisitor'' The Astartes Captain shot back, mildly offended.

''I mean no slight to your dishonor'' the words fell flat on the Inquisitor stone voice.

''But daemonic activity has been uncovered on Dalu City, we have received your transmission and I would have to say the appearance does not look very good here Brother-Captain'' he said.

''I would say sit back and let the honor and pride of my chapter tarnished as such Inquisitor, My scouts have discovered the presence of Neer in the city, leading the foul host for some unknowable purpose'' he did not think telling the Inquisitor lord that he had received information from xenos would be a good idea.

''Then it appears that this is an open and shut case, no offence Brother-Captain, but you and your men are not…. How shall we say it? Political animals?'' Winfelt shrugged.

''I have seen your service record from your chapter and I know you and your men are unlikely to be heretics, but paranoia is a virtue in my organization'' he stated.

''Then what is my course of action now? I am I to withdraw to orbit and let the fleet cleanse Dalu city?'' Basiclus questioned, hoping for a third part answer out of this mess.

''No, there is a chance that Neer could escape and orbital fire is not exactly that precise, besides'' he said.

''Who knows what warp spawned powers he might have that would allow him to escape, no he must die by the hands of the Astartes'' he rumbled.

Now Basiclus was getting slightly suspicious. ''Why use? Are you not going to charge other forces like the Grey Knights in this matter?'' he questioned.

Winfelt closed his eyes. ''The hallowed brothers of the Grey Knights are busied in the Canticar system, other forces cannot deploy fast enough to combat the taint before it spreads'' he replied.

He lifted his hands showing the Inquisitorial rosette. ''Certain members of my organization think it is great fun to turn the flamer at every bit of heresy they can find, I by extension, am not too amused by that sort of thing. Brother-Captain, slaying Neer by the chapter itself with personally clear the Eagle Claws of anything wrongdoing'' his hands formed the Aquila symbol.

''Then is that is so Neer will die, if you have anything else I must hurry, to reassemble my forces'' Basiclus informed him.

The inquisitor shook his head. ''Just give the bastard a bolter round to the head and it ends'' he finished.

Basiclus nodded. ''Goodbye, the Emperor protects'' he intoned.

''The Emperor Protects'' Winfelt intoned and the screen went blank as the Eagle Claws traveled on back to base camp.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** We are getting near the end here. I am thinking about seven chapters and an epilogue?


	7. Endgame

Author's Notes: This is the final chapter, wrapping up Claws's Wrath. There will be a sequel finishing up the war on Karovioa.

* * *

**Dalu City Outskirts**

The Rhinos pushed through the city limits for a second time. Preceding them where four vindicators, taking the spearpoint position to clear out any foes, flanked by Belsarius's scouts and the assault marines of the Eagle Claws, to prevent any assault by a stealthy opponent who would try to cripple the war machines. Behind them where the Eagle Claws, Predators and Land Raiders guarding a column of Rhinos and Razorbacks in a modified version of the ''Ferrum'' armored convoy system as recommended in the Codex Astartes, modified for urban conditions.

The Eagle Claws took a different route this time, instead moving across a tau grav-rail over into the west factory district where they would swing around to the old Tau governmental palace. From there they would move out quickly and strike into the government plaza, the last known spot of where Falvius was, and where the marines had calculated he would be based off of Chemosian's senses.

Before leaving, all of the marines weapons where checked by Techmarine Galba and blessed by Chaplain Brittanicus for protection against the forces of the daemonic.

The first unit to make contact was the _Stone Hammer_ a forward Vindicator, blasting away rubble in the streets for the Eagle Claws advance. Various daemons spawned out of the warp and began to attack. Razor-edged devils swooped out of the skies towards the space marine vehicles while packs of bloodletters and horrors warped among the ruined spars and buildings that where choked with excess rubble.

Hordes of cackling daemons tore their claws over the plasteel hides of the Vindicators and the Screamers swooped in, aiming at tracks, warp-bladed wings angling for the kill.

Several shark-daemons ripped into the _Stone Hammer_, ripping apart tracks and armor plates, a shrieking Screamer rammed itself into the main engine, ripping it away as other daemons poured into the breached vehicles hull.

The other squadron Vindicators came into play, blasting away with their massive demolisher cannons, sending dozens of charging daemons into the warp, but more came, trying to flank the vehicles.

Belsarius's squads fell back under the assault of the blood letters and magical warpfire slew two scouts. The rest made good cover among the ruins and lured the charging servants of Khorne into carefully places trip mines and frag grenades while setting up a withering fire defense. The red-skinned butchers charged through rubble, caring only to slaughter the camouflaged scouts. Just as they began to close, a Land Raider Redeemer of the chapter smashed through an old housing wall and doused the attackers with sheets of flame and a hailstorm of cannon shells.

All across the Eagle Claws line Basiclus moved up the Predators and Vindicators to provide fire support for the embittered scouts, directing his APC's to move up and take guard point of the forward vindicator line.

This broke the impetus of the daemonic charge; the marine armor annihilated dozens of daemons and shattered the main assault, banishing their attackers back into the warp. Once Belsarius's scouts had pulled back, their job finished. The tactical brothers moved up in their transports, cleansing the attackers with flamer and bolter, driving back the tide of daemonic filth.

Casualties where totaled up, two battle-brothers and two scouts where slain with others sporting minor wounds. A Predator and a Vindicator where lost, the chapter had got off lightly.

They proceeded on.

* * *

**Dalu City Central Plaza**

Basiclus looked over the tactical map in his helmet display, the first squad transports where entering the main plaza of Dalu city after the vindicators had blasted their way through, the Eagle Claws had been attacked twice more, but the astartes beat them off within the safety of their armored convoy.

Was it a wise decision to do this? He wondered. Was he really being irresponsible by risking the lives of his brothers for a simply vengeance trip against someone whom they had not even seen? The Eagle Claws valued lives, wasting valued astartes lives when they had to be used elsewhere was a sin to the Eagle Claws, should he withdraw and cut his losses before they got too severe?

No, honor, he reminded himself, honor demanded this.

If the chapter let its enemies escape retribution then that would go against everything the Claws believed in. It would be a black mark on the honor of the chapter. Basiclus had to do this. Any of his fallen brothers would agree, he reminded himself, staring at the votive carving of the chapter's symbol, a winged claw. The chapter would be the Claws of the Aquila, the enemies of the Emperor would not escape.

So did the founding chapter master of the Eagle Claws decreed seven millennia ago. So was those very words carved into the vambrace of his artificer plate and on the chapter banner of the Eagle Claws back on their fortress monastery of Asclepieon Major.

A vox-crackle broke through his reverie.

''Lord-Captain'' came the voice of Rezarin, in the lead.

''Yes?'' he responded.

''They are everywhere'', he stated, as an tactical image from Rezarin's own helmet was picked up by his own suit's imagers. The image of the Central Plaza appeared on his helmet screen, along with a horde of daemons. The vehicles of the Eagle Claws filed out into combat formations, opening fire at the charging horde of monsters and other warp-spawned freaks and blasphemies. Then the captain spotted something.

''Turn your head to the right'' he commanded, Rezarin obeyed instantly. A horrifying sight greeted him. One of the corner houses was utterly desecrated, turned into a shrine to chaos.

No, a shrine to Nurgle. It was covered in the three-poxed mark of the Dark God and dripping with filth and rotting necrotic corpses that gasped and moaned like puppets on a string. Basiclus, who was a hardened fighter of centuries of warfare, felt his gut churn at the warp-blasphemy. From one of the decaying carcasses came a clutch of writhing Nurglings and waved and laughed at the astartes.

_''Phoenix's Wrath''_ he commanded the Land Raider Redeemer attached to the strike force. ''Burn that thing'' an enthusiastic affirmative replied over the vox com and the huge Land Raider spun its Flamestorm cannons around.

Sheets of burning promethium reduced the shrine-place to a bring inferno of ash in less than a minute, clawing Nurglings gasped and cackled before they where reduced to ash and the corpses disappeared in a huge inferno.

''My lord'' this time it was Chemosian.

''That thing we destroyed,'' he sounded hopeful, almost joyful. 'That thing was part of some sort of binding ritual'' he said.

''What do you mean?'' replied Basiclus in confusion.

''Look at the square around you'' Chemosian recommended. The captain disengaged his helmet-link and thrust this head up through the Razorback's hatch, giving him an excellent view of the battlefield.

The Eagle Claws where beating back the daemonic horde currently, all of them minor daemons, with nothing big, yet. This was a trap, he could feel it in his bones, his tactical senses where screaming. But there was nothing else for him to do. But then he spotted the thing that Chemosian sent him to look out for. There, on the other corners of the plaza where there others shrines in the exact same analogue. The whole place was a perfect square, he realized, a relic from Imperial times.

One, his enhanced eyesight could make out, was swathed in gut-churning purple smoke and pink runes. Another was covered in bloody skulls and the remaining one, across from him was blue and covered in multi-colored fire. He could see now what the Chaos forces where trying to do. In the center was the ruined husk of the Tau capital building, now crawling with daemons. It must be some sort of link, he could see even now part of the daemonic forces vanishing, the Nurgle ones anyway.

''These shrines'' Chemosian said. ''Must have manifested initially when the cultists planted items of power here to summon the daemons, destroying them should send them back, or at least help'' he explained.

''Then we will destroy them all.'' Basiclus replied switching to a wider vox-channel.

''Brothers! Destroy the reaming three, Lakaris, to the left'' Basiclus commanded, indicating the Slanneshi temple.

''Kommneus to the right! I will take the middle flaming one!'' he commanded.

''For the Emperor!'' at that units from each of the captains split off, heading to cut a path to each of the heathen warp-spawn at the corners of the plaza. Protecting each was an army of daemons. Each of their patron powers. A force of saurian berserkers surrounded the Khorne shrine, crab-limbed androgynous things prowled around the Slaaneshi one and other strange things capered around the Tzeentchian one.

* * *

**The Tzeentchian Shrine**

Laetres's squad moved in support of Basiclus's advance, his group's bolters firing in tight controlled bursts, blowing shark-like daemons and capering, twister-things that spat green flames at him and his brothers. A bit caught his gauntlet edge, covering in some kind of green ice that the sergeant brushed away rapidly.

The astartes shots where perfectly placed and most of them blew apart the daemons, however in some cases the beasts avoided the damage by warping out of the way or turning transparent, Laetres even saw one seeming absorb the bolt round that struck it and smile back at him. All around him where other Eagle Claws squads and vehicles, a Vindicator thundered near him. The demolisher cannon tracking and firing with an ear-splitting crack, the resulting explosion soon eliminated the Horrors.

Captain Basiclus was at the forefront, cutting down multi-limbed creatures and storming his way through sheets of warp fire, he led the attack, aimed at the heart of the enemy shrine. Overhead shrieked Thunderhawks, avoiding the slower-flying daemons and moving in to provide fire support. They came in low, preparing for an attack run against the main shrine building.

Warp fires tore into two marines from a squad near to Laetres, the blue and green fires incinerating the marines, the unnatural flames finally breaching their power armor and killing them. Other fires froze marines with green ice, or covered their armor with daemonic fungi. But the astartes pressed on, firing their bolters and continuing the advance into the daemonic army as fast as they could.

Another high-shriek sounded from above as the quartet of Eagle Claws thunderhawks opened fire, battlecannon rounds and misses tore into the shrine-temple, ripping it apart in a burst of multi-colored energy. Immediately the strange-multicolored daemons began to disappear and warp away, with a cheer the astartes turned around and hurried to the aid of their brothers on the flanks.

With the loss of two of the shrines, the Chaos forces where split in half each of the shrines had been located on the opposite sides of the plaza, each gods rival opposing him in the formation.

* * *

**Slaaneshi Shrine**

Lakaris opened fire with his storm bolter, urging his squads onto the assault, dozens of pirouetting daemonettes where blown away by bolter rounds and flamed into ash, or slain by the other multitude of astartes weapons, but several jumped in, razor claws ready. The she-daemons removed heads and limbs from the nearest marines, their claws carving strips of ceraimite from the marine's armor and plunging into joints and neck seals with ease.

Lakaris blew away a charging daemonette that almost impaled him with a claw, and then he chucked a trio of grenades at several horse-like daemons, blowing them apart, his command squad sending gouts of flames into the daemons.

The Terminators of Squad Trajan exited from their land raider and cleared the way; their heavy flamer turned the place into an inferno. Trajan's group along with the captain and the survivors from Squad Krajak came into contact with the shrine.

A large daemonette charged out of the building, an unearthly song erupting from its lips, two of the astartes where paralyzed by its song before it decapitated them with clean, measured strokes. Lakaris was the first to regain his senses, screaming he fired his storm bolter, blowing huge holes into the daemon, but the Herald turned and charged into him, its claws slicing him in half as the waist.

A spine-chilling cry emerged from the Herald, but the beast did not live long as Trajan's flamer-brother turned on the beast and Krajak and the terminator veterans opened fire with extreme prejudice. The Herald died amidst of storm of bolter rounds and a searing inferno from the heavy flamer, as it turned to ash, Trajan's flamer man steeped above the captain's corpse and pressed the trigger on his heavy flamer at the shrine.

The silks and drapes caught fire, then the marines realized at this range, with disgust that the silk was actually human skin. A cold satisfaction filled their hearts and the shrine disappeared into the inferno and the Slaaneshi daemons began to disappear.

The corpse of Lakaris was carried to the medical rhino by the 7th Company's apothecary, the captain's body would he tested for daemonic taint and, Emperor willing, his geneseed would be extracted for the Eagle Claws.

* * *

**Khornate Shrine**

Kommneus's advance against the Khornate shrine was stalled. The Fifth was making slow progress against the horde of red-skinned killers; they dared not press in too close, as the Codex advocated when dealing with enemies that possessed superior close combat capacities.

Flamers roared, plasma guns belched and missiles shrieked as the intense firepower of the Eagle Claws inflicted immense casualties as the astartes moved forward. The daemons flickering hellblades cut through even the thick power armor of the astartes with ease. But the astartes managed to keep most of them at bay, with each squad opening fire, covering another squad as they moved forward, a team of Fifth company assault marines flew on contrails of fire, flamers sends orange gouts of death at the Bloodletters.

Several massive bloodletters mounted on huge armored beasts materialized out of the air. Juggernauts, the fearsome Blood Knights of Khrone himself. The lead rider gave a bestial roar and kicked his steed into action. The first Juggernaught smashed into an assault marine, the daemonic brass hooves caving in the power armored chest of the marine with immense force that even the ceramite and the fused ribcage of the marine was useless against.

With a roar the lead rider beheaded the corpse, the glowing hellblades of the other rider cut into the assault marine, the huge daemonic beasts charging into the flames and butchering the Fifth's assault squad. Kommneus rapidly gave orders to the remainder of the assault marines to pull back away from the Khornate death machines, Jump packs activated and the marine fled from the rampaging daemon knights. They seemed invincible.

However that all changed when the _Phoenix's Wrath_ came into play. The huge purple and gold machine revved its engines in a deep throaty rumble and the eighty ton vehicle slammed into the lead Juggernaut. The Daemon Knight screamed in range as its steed was crushed by the sheer weight and bulk of the land raider and its rider banished. The Redeemer's Flamestorm cannons swiveled and opened fire.

The sheets of superheated promethium caused a massive inferno among the daemons ranks, the assault cannon chattered and blew apart the lead daemon riders who where also engulfed in the seething inferno. The astartes gave a resounding cheer and moved forwards, bolters firing, redoubling their assault as they pressed on their attack, the _Phoenix's Wrath_ at their head, cutting through the daemonic ranks.

The Land Raider crushed several more daemons under its mighty treads, the glowing hellblades glancing uselessly off the thick ceramite and plasteel hide. The Land Raider moved up to the crimson Khrone shrine.

Its flamestorm cannons spoke again, engulfing the heretical construct in flames, the blood coagulated and burst under the heat and the skulls burnt and turned to ash under the immense heat-pressure. A sound like the souls of the dammed ripped through the air like a thousand people screaming at once. As the final shrine disappeared the daemons of Khorne roared in hatred as they disappeared.

The Eagle Claws paused briefly and looked around, only the dead and wounded of the astartes where left now, all the forces of the daemons where gone, just vanished into thin air as if they had never been there at all. Immediately the apothecaries began to tend to the wounded and extracting geneseed from the dead bodies, carrying them back to the medical rhinos that where attached to the Eagle Claws strike force.

* * *

Basiclus strode to the center, the trio of Thunderhawks circling above. ''Brother!'' he called out to Chemosian.

''Where is he? Where is Flavius Neer?'' he questioned the librarian.

Chemosian looked deep in concentration. ''I don't know, I can feel his taint, he should have been in the Tzeentchi shrine, where he could get the most socrerous power available to him, but-'' he looked at the center building.

For a moment dread rose in Basiclus's chest, did they fight all for nothing just to let there main target escape no readily? ''Did he—'' Basiclus began.

''No''' the librarian cut him off, '' He is right there.''

''Laetres! Fulgerion! Move in and clear the building!'' Basiclus's voice rang out across the lot, immediately the two squads moved out quickly, bolters at ready to clear out the building.

But before they got there he stepped out.

Flavius Neer was changed now, he was dressed in prison rags, but he gave off the air of a powerful lord or king, his eyes blazed with confidence and power and he strode forward to the Eagle Claws confidently.

''Captain Bas-'' his sentence was cut short as a single bolter round from Laetres ended his life. The round blew a huge hole through his chest and threw his mangled corpse back several feet.

There was silence.

''Wow'' Rezarin said. ''That was pretty anti-climatic.'' He commented.

Then Neer's corpse stood up, twisters of blue and yellow energy surrounded it, giving fresh life to the shattered body.

''You idiots.'' The voice came from everywhere at once as the meat puppet was seized by a storm of blue energy; the astartes raised their bolters and fired everything they had at it. But it was all for naught.

The body, now covered by an aura of blue fire rose up and expanded, skin turned multi colored and the body grew several times it's normal size, feathers grew and wings bulged out while hands and feet turned into malformed talons, rapidly before the eyes of the Eagle Claws a Lord of Change ripped it's way into reality. The greater daemon regarded the marines with cold alien eyes. It was a huge horrifying thing, multicolored skin, black robes and great wings, in one talon a great sliver staff engraved with the symbol of Tzeentch was held.

''You are going to die here mortals'' the thing said straight into their minds.

''Shit'' Basiclus muttered. ''Kill it now! Kill it!'' he shouted as the Eagle Claws opened fire, sending everything they had at the daemon.

But a shield of blue fire still protected the daemon, many of the shots being deflected or simply appearing to pass through the greater daemon. With a wave the Lord of change opened several dozen portals behind him.

Shapes of more daemons appeared, multi-limbed horrors and red-skinned bloodletters, along with the shapes of much larger daemons. ''They are coming! Many much more!'' Chemosian said, blood trickling down from his nose.

It was ironic, the daemons where attacking from roughly the same spot where the Eagle Claws had begun their assault, now the space marines where on the defensive role.

With another wave the Lord of Change send a bolt of purple lighting among the marine's killing several, roasting them inside their armor, with another wave he destroyed a predator with a single blasphemous word. The situation was very very bad, thought Basiclus. Although a space marine felt no fear he knew that the situation was very, very bad. He should withdraw and cut his loses, leave as many men beh-.

No! He shook his mind clear of such thoughts.

The Lord of Change!

''It's trying to fool you brothers! Refuse it! Hate it!'' he cried, emptying his clip at the rapidly closing tide of daemons.

His brothers followed his lead, switching from the greater daemon to throwing everything at the daemons they could hurt, but it still was not enough, for every beast they sent screaming back to the warp the daemon gave another wave of its arm. There had to be some way to get out of this, Basiclus thought as blasts of warp fire landed among the space marines who where taking cover, bloodletters and daemonettes where closing in rapidly.

Then he heard the roar of thruster engines as one of the astartes thunderhawks changed its flight course from its assigned air support position. There was a vox-crackle. ''Goodbye milord''. The voice sounded grim. A chapter serf.

''What is he doing?'' Basiclus wondered and then realized exactly what he was trying to do. The Thunderhawk slammed into the Greater daemon in a huge explosion that blew back warp spawn and marine alike. Dust whipped through the plaza, so thick that even Basiclus's enhanced vision had trouble picking out the details at first. But when it cleared it revealed the greater daemon still standing.

But it had been practically torn in half by the attack, its left arm and wing along with most of its chest was blown away, rivers of yellow ichor spilled down, sizzling into the streets, the wreckage of the thunderhawk covered the ground around it. After a few seconds Basiclus realized the beast was now defenseless due to the pilot's sacrifice.

''FIRE! FIRE ! Fire everything NOW!'' he screamed over the wide vox-link. His brothers hurried to obey to his orders.

The Land Raider ''Findor's Wrath'' joined in, twin lascannons spitting, Predators and Vindicators opened fire with their main guns. Now the full firepower of the 2nd company blasted the creature while the 5th and 7th destroyed the horde.

The huge greater daemon gave a cry of loss and rage as it was banished, its body faded away and the great sliver staff clanged to the ground with an unearthly pang and dissolved into ashes. With the destruction of the greater daemon, without the Lord of Change's magics to sustain them the lesser daemon disappeared and lost interest in the fight, the half-materialized shadow-shapes stayed for a few moments before they disappeared.

It was over.

* * *

**_Sword of the Emperor_-Eagle Claws flagship**

Basiclus stood in his personal quarters on the _Sword of the Emperor_ the battle barge assigned to the Second Company. He was out of armor, his wounds healed and he was dressed in a dark purple habit.

The room was spartan mostly, with a bed, a prayer cell and a small library containing his personal copies of the Codex Astartes in data form and one of Lord Solar Macharius's own personal campaign notes, among other tomes. On the wall where the skulls of an ork warlord, a severed tyranid claw, a rebel general's own power sword, the weapons of a Hrud warrior, bits of a traitor guard's battle flag and a shoulder piece of Tau armor he had taken form the battlefield along with an alien bonding knife.

He now stood in silence.

The Eagle Claws where extracted shortly after by the remaining Thunderhawk taskforce, the bodies of the honored dead where recovered to be purified and their geneseed recovered. After the death of Falvius and the Greater daemon, Chemosian reported no remaining warp activity; orbital scans had also indicated that the Tau had also left the area and where heaving towards the main concentration of their forces in the Feos Highlands.

The extraction took several hours and four more Thunderhawks joined the effort, Basiclus was on the last Thunderhawk out from Dalu city. The city was destroyed shortly thereafter by orbital bombardment to cleanse any remaining daemonic taint.

Lakaris's body was found to be still alive, although in a near-death state, having sustained such injures that even a space marine's genhanced condition struggled to cope with. Right now he was being monitored by the Librarians and apothecaries. Hopefully if he was found free of taint he would soon take his place as an ancient in the Chapter's dreadnought force.

Basiclus also ordered the name of the thunderhawk pilot, Gartoi Brasker, be added to the Chapter honor rolls and when the Eagle Claws returned to Asclepieion Major his name would be enshrined with solid gold in the Wall of Heroes. Chaplain Britannicus's sermon in the aftermath of the battle stressed Brasker's sacrifice as all space marines must do in the name of victory. He ended the sermon with commending the serf's soul to the Emperor.

Brasker had failed in his tests to become a marine, but he had been retained as a chapter serf where he could still serve the emperor, Basiclus knew that many of his brothers looked down upon the serfs as barely there, figures worth of no great notice. But Brasker had proven more than that, whatever shortcomings he had in the tests he had proved he had the heart of a true hero that was something that Basiclus could easily respect and recognize.

He looked at the pendant in his hand; it was a stylized Eagle's head, with a dusty-looking stone for the eyes. Brakser had been recruited from the Lokoi, one of the minor mountain tribes on the Eagle claws homeworld. Pendants like those where common among the tribe to be given to young boys in order to demonstrate their resolve to become useful to the tribe and better it in any way they would achieve. Basiclus had his quarters aboard the _Sword_ searched and he found this.

Basiclus stared at it, it was a simple thing really, typical of the Lokoi tribes, probably made by the boy's mother, and yet…..

…..he put in a small personal locker holding his personal affects, he brushed aside a marksman's honor badge and put it in its rightful place and stood back, there the pendant looked more glorious than even his Iron Halo that he was awarded when he achieved his captaincy.

Let that remind him. That even mere humans can prove to be courageous. Let it be a remainder of humility and not arrogance.

The chamber vox crackled.

''Captain'' the voice of a serf on the bridge.

''Yes?'' he answered.

''You are needed'' it said.

Basiclus looked at the pendant and closed the locker before leaving.

* * *


End file.
